Author: Amy McMackin, Doctoral Researcher, Sustainable Food Processing, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Plastic microbeads, those tiny troublemakers found in the personal care products of the early 1990s to the late 2010s, wreak havoc on the environment. These minuscule bits, smaller than a sesame seed, escape the clutches of wastewater treatment plants, accumulating in oceans and rivers where they pose a threat to marine life. Thankfully, soaps and scrubs containing plastic microbeads are impossible to find on today’s store shelves. In recent years, many countries have recognized these microbeads as a source of marine plastic pollution and banned them from personal hygiene products. Microbead bans make room for more environmentally friendly substitutes, allowing…