NY State Assembly Passes Microbead-Free Waters Act

The New York State Assembly has passed the first in the nation legislation banning a form of plastic pollution that is an emerging threat to New York’s great lakes and other lakes.

The Microbead-Free Waters Act will prohibit the sale in New York of beauty and cosmetic products that contain tiny plastic particles, often marketed as microbeads. The plastic beads were recently found in alarmingly high levels in the New York waters of Lake Erie. The beads may persist in the environment for centuries and acumulate toxic chemicals on their surface, threatening fish, wildlife and public health.

The bill passed in the Assembly 108 to 0.