Congress will soon vote on a bill to ban microbeads – those tiny plastic particles in toothpaste, facial scrubs, body washes and other personal care products. There’s now a new effort to deal with them at the state level.
This isn’t the first time for a bill at the Statehouse to ban microbeads, which don’t degrade and are eaten by wildlife, getting into the food chain. But Democratic Rep. John Patterson of Jefferson, 10 miles from Lake Erie, says it has a better shot this time because of federal support, and because many companies that produce products containing microbeads are phasing them out.
“The industry is aware. The industry is, they understand, being good citizens that they are, that we just have to take a different course," Patterson said.
A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate, and it has bipartisan support.