Ban on plastic beads in cosmetics advances in Colorado

A measure to ban tiny plastic particles from soaps and cosmetic products has advanced in the Colorado Legislature.

A Senate committee voted 4-1 Thursday in favor of a bill banning “microbeads” by 2020.

The “microbeads” turn up in face scrubs, acne treatments and toothpaste. The particles are too fine to be caught in wastewater treatment plants, and the plastic bits can pollute lakes and rivers.

The bill has already passed the House.

The microbeads are about the size of fish eggs and can be swallowed by aquatic life, leaving them with plastic bits they can’t digest.

The microbeads ban has the backing of large personal-care product manufacturers including Johnson & Johnson.