These Regulations ban the manufacture and sale of rinse-off personal care products containing microbeads. This will reduce the release of plastic into the marine environment and lessen harm to marine organisms caused by this form of microplastic.
In 2016, the results of a 5-year DEFRA funded study on the impact of microplastics in the marine environment was published. It showed that microplastics ingested by marine organisms can cause harm either directly, or by transporting other chemical contaminants into their systems. These findings reinforced the growing body of evidence of harm caused to marine organisms by ingestion of microplastics.
Microbeads are tiny solid pieces of plastic that until early 2018, were added to rinse-off personal care products such as face scrubs, toothpastes and shower gels. They are so small; a microbead is equal to or less than 5 mm, although the majority are 1 mm or less, that they are unable to be filtered out by sewage systems and build up in the marine environment, where they often end up in the stomachs of seabirds, whales and turtles. They cause serious damage to sea life, including fish and crustaceans, with billions of them ending up in the ocean each year. As a result of digestion by marine life, microplastics have subsequently infiltrated the food chain. Microbeads are an avoidable source of plastic pollution, and in many cases natural alternatives are available.
A ban on the manufacture of products containing microbeads came into force on 9th January 2018, with the sale of these products being totally banned from 19th June 2018 and applies in England.
