After waiting long enough for the federal or state government to take action to ban the sale of cosmetics and personal care products containing microbeads, Erie County took action to protect our water sources. At the July 30 session, the Legislature voted 11-0 to approve a local law that would ban the sale of face washes, toothpastes and any products that contain tiny plastic microbeads. The issue is that these beads are too small to be filtered out of the water at our treatment plants and end up in lakes, rivers and creeks causing many issues.

I have spent years working on improving the quality of our waterways, serving on the boards of the Erie County Sewer District No. 3, Lake Erie Water Protection Alliance and the Erie County Soil & Water Conservation District, and believe this ban is necessary for our community.

I am hopeful that eventually the federal government will approve a ban on microbeads and ensure that our waterways across this nation will be free of these pollutants. Until then, I encourage all companies and residents to consider what they are putting down the drain and stop the use of products with microbeads.

The good news is that many companies are voluntarily providing organic alternatives to plastic microbeads, and I appreciate their willingness and understanding to help address the issue. But the hope for this law is to further expand protection of our local waterways and fresh water resources from contamination.

Ere County’s law will take effect six months after it is signed. At that time, drug stores, grocery stores, department stores and all retailers in Erie County will be prohibited from selling any product containing microbeads. The county’s Weights and Measures Department will be charged with ensuring that retailers abide by the law. Residents can also help this effort by contacting a hotline that will be set up to report retailers that are still selling banned products.

The law bans the sale of any cosmetics or personal care products that contain plastic particles measuring five millimeters or less. Studies have shown that these microbeads account for 90 percent of the new pollutants found in Lake Erie and have disastrous effects on our ecosystems. 

I am extremely proud that Erie County is once again showing leadership and taking responsibility for a very serious issue. We are seeing billions of dollars of damage caused by these beads. Enough is enough. I want to thank my colleagues in the Legislature for approving the law, which I cosponsored with Legislator Patrick Burke, and for all the local environmental groups that testified on the benefits of imposing this ban. I am extremely pleased with the reaction we are seeing from residents who understand the importance of this law and support it.

If you have a question or concern about a county matter, please call or email my office at 858-8850 or john.mills@erie.gov.