Earlier ban on microbeads welcomed

17 August 2017

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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