Chair of Climate Action Committee to seek cross party support for Bill banning microbeads

Chair of the Oireachtas Climate Action Committee, Hildegarde Naughton, has welcomed the publication of legislation to ban microbeads.

The Cabinet has now approved the General Scheme of the Prohibition of Certain Products Containing Plastic Microbeads Bill 2018.

“We have heard so much discussed recently about the plastic pollution of our oceans. This includes plastic microbeads and it is something that we, as a society must take seriously in the interests of protecting our planet.

“I welcome the Cabinet approval for this newly published legislation banning microbeads.

“The Bill will prohibit the manufacture, import, export, sale, supply or exposure for sale of certain products containing plastic microbeads, to include “rinse-off” personal care products, detergents, and domestic and industrial abrasive cleaning products and scouring agents.

“Aside from doing the right thing for our planet, the banning of microbeads is also really important for socio-economic reasons. As an island nation we know all too well the importance of our fisheries industry; indeed it is crucial to the economy of my own constituency of Galway West. We must ensure that consumers can have confidence that Irish seafood is protected from the consumption of the microbeads that currently pervade our seas and are ingested by marine aquatic animals.

“This is groundbreaking legislation. Yet again Ireland is leading the way on environmental issues as the first EU Member State looking to extend the prohibition of microbeads to detergents, abrasive scouring agents and other cleaning products.

“As Chair of the newly established Climate Action Committee in the Oireachtas, I will be working to try secure cross party support for this Bill. I am encouraged by the fact it is already supported by the Green Party and by the Labour Party.”