SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
(Image: 5 Gyres)
How One State Is Taking On The Micro-Plastics Polluting Its Waterways
Illinois bill takes aim at microbeads found in personal care products, but green groups say measure does not go far enough
Apr 17, 2014
They are the tiny beads and pieces of plastic found in facial scrubs and other cleansing projects. And now they are washing down the drain and spreading from sewage systems into oceans, gulfs, lakes, and rivers around the world, where they are adding to plastic pollution that threatens those ecosystems and wildlife.
Illinois is one of several states considering a legislative defense against these polluting microbeads--which have already been found in Illinois waterways, including millions in Lake Michigan.
Illinois lawmakers are weighing a bill that would phase out the sale of such microbeads for personal care purposes by the end of 2018 and prohibit the manufacture of the products by the end of 2017.
According to The Chicago Tribune, the bill, which was introduced by State Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) last month, is in good shape for passage. It was approved in the State Senate last week with no opposition and is next headed to the House.
However, green groups charge that the legislation is not aggressive enough.
"Illinois is putting the environment at a much greater a risk because it has a very non-aggressive timeline for phase-out," said Stiv Wilson, associate director of environmental group 5 Gyres Institute, in an interview with The Chicago Tribune.
Micro-plastics, which do not biodegrade, attract environmental pollutants like "DDT, PCBs, flame-retardants, and other industrial chemicals," according to 5 Gyres.
They are designed to wash down the drain, and many sewage treatment facilities do not capture them.
According to 5 Gyres, a single facial cleanser can contain over 300,000 of these microbeads.
_____________________
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
They are the tiny beads and pieces of plastic found in facial scrubs and other cleansing projects. And now they are washing down the drain and spreading from sewage systems into oceans, gulfs, lakes, and rivers around the world, where they are adding to plastic pollution that threatens those ecosystems and wildlife.
Illinois is one of several states considering a legislative defense against these polluting microbeads--which have already been found in Illinois waterways, including millions in Lake Michigan.
Illinois lawmakers are weighing a bill that would phase out the sale of such microbeads for personal care purposes by the end of 2018 and prohibit the manufacture of the products by the end of 2017.
According to The Chicago Tribune, the bill, which was introduced by State Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) last month, is in good shape for passage. It was approved in the State Senate last week with no opposition and is next headed to the House.
However, green groups charge that the legislation is not aggressive enough.
"Illinois is putting the environment at a much greater a risk because it has a very non-aggressive timeline for phase-out," said Stiv Wilson, associate director of environmental group 5 Gyres Institute, in an interview with The Chicago Tribune.
Micro-plastics, which do not biodegrade, attract environmental pollutants like "DDT, PCBs, flame-retardants, and other industrial chemicals," according to 5 Gyres.
They are designed to wash down the drain, and many sewage treatment facilities do not capture them.
According to 5 Gyres, a single facial cleanser can contain over 300,000 of these microbeads.
_____________________
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
They are the tiny beads and pieces of plastic found in facial scrubs and other cleansing projects. And now they are washing down the drain and spreading from sewage systems into oceans, gulfs, lakes, and rivers around the world, where they are adding to plastic pollution that threatens those ecosystems and wildlife.
Illinois is one of several states considering a legislative defense against these polluting microbeads--which have already been found in Illinois waterways, including millions in Lake Michigan.
Illinois lawmakers are weighing a bill that would phase out the sale of such microbeads for personal care purposes by the end of 2018 and prohibit the manufacture of the products by the end of 2017.
According to The Chicago Tribune, the bill, which was introduced by State Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) last month, is in good shape for passage. It was approved in the State Senate last week with no opposition and is next headed to the House.
However, green groups charge that the legislation is not aggressive enough.
"Illinois is putting the environment at a much greater a risk because it has a very non-aggressive timeline for phase-out," said Stiv Wilson, associate director of environmental group 5 Gyres Institute, in an interview with The Chicago Tribune.
Micro-plastics, which do not biodegrade, attract environmental pollutants like "DDT, PCBs, flame-retardants, and other industrial chemicals," according to 5 Gyres.
They are designed to wash down the drain, and many sewage treatment facilities do not capture them.
According to 5 Gyres, a single facial cleanser can contain over 300,000 of these microbeads.
_____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.