Plastic microbeads banned thanks to NDP

Thanks to a motion by NDP environment critic Megan Leslie (Halifax) and the efforts of concerned stakeholders, plastic microbeads have been banned by the federal government.

“We’ve been saying for a long time that the best way to tackle this pollution problem is prevention,” said Leslie. “It’s about time the Conservatives took concrete action to protect our lakes and rivers from this pollution.”

Microbeads are tiny plastic beads used in consumer products such as facial cleansers, shower gel and toothpaste. They have been found in high concentrations in the Great Lakes, especially downstream of major urban centres, and in the sediments of the St. Lawrence River.

“For the sake of our environment and our health, Canada must do as other countries have done and work to eliminate microbeads from everyday consumer products,” said NDP critic for the Great Lakes, Brian Masse (Windsor West).

The NDP petition to protect our water and wildlife from plastic microbeads is available online: http://www.ndp.ca/eliminate-microbeads