Water
New Zealand welcomes the earlier than expected ban on the
manufacture and sale of wash-off products containing
microbeads.
Microbeads are hugely damaging to our marine
environments and add to the mountain of plastic already
polluting our water system, says Water New Zealand CEO John
Pfahlert.
“It is good news that the government will ban
microbeads earlier than previously planned and that many
large retailers have moved ahead of the new regulations and
have already stopped selling products that contain
them.”
However, he says that the public needs to be more
aware of the damage that other products such as wipes are
continuing to cause to the environment and to our water
treatment plants around the country.
“Let’s not forget
that wipes are a serious issue. They should not be flushed
because they end up clogging sewers, causing significant
damage to wastewater treatment plants.
“This not only
results in extra costs to ratepayers but increases the risk
of overflow into rivers and
oceans.”
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