Youth-lead environmental initiative celebrates microbead success

Plastic Diet welcomes yesterday’s proposal by the New Zealand government that a ban on cosmetic products containing microbeads be implemented in July 2018 following a consultation process.

“After spending the last year campaigning for a national ban on plastic microbeads in cosmetic products, we’re impressed to see that the government has taken this first major step towards making such a ban reality,” Briar Wyatt, vice-president of the organisation explains.

Plastic Diet is a youth-led initiative focused on reducing single use plastic waste and consumption at the top of the waste hierarchy in New Zealand. Their campaign — in collaboration with Greenpeace New Zealand — has involved calling on the government for a total legislative ban on all plastic microbeads, including biodegradable plastic alternatives.

“It’s great to see that this proposal will put in place legislative restrictions to force manufacturers to turn away from plastic microbeads. We still have work to do now, to be sure that bioplastics will not be accepted as an alternative, and look into how importation of microbeads will be remedied,” says Naomi Gaspar, president of Plastic Diet.

Submissions on the proposed ban are now open and must be submitted by 5.00pm on the 28th February 2017.

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