The State House Natural Resources committee heard testimony Tuesday on legislation that would ban the sale of personal care products that contain plastic microbeads, which do not biodegrade in the environment and could harm fish and other aquatic life. Opponents of the legislation have a problem with the bill since it allows for non-biodegradable microbeads and fails to set a specific standard of biodegradable. However, Maggie Pallone, of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, supports the idea of flexibility for the industry to come up with a replacement. Three other Great Lakes states and Canada have approved similar legislation. The plastic microbeads are contained in such things as toothpaste and many skin care products.
