Giving Compass' Take:

· According to Global Citizen, The European Union is considering adopting a new law that would ban 90% of microplastics across all of Europe. Over the years, this could mean an elimination of 400,000 tons of waste.

· What can donors do to help with efforts to reduce plastic waste in the ocean? What are the harmful effects of ocean plastic?

· Check out this article to see what you can do about ocean plastic.  

The European Union is considering a ban on the vast majority of microplastics that are added to products, according to the Guardian.

The proposal would cover up to 90% of microplastics that end up polluting the environment, which could eliminate up to 400,000 tons of waste in two decades. That doesn’t mean that 90% of the total weight of microplastics will be eliminated, but that 90% of the types of microplastics intentionally added to products will no longer be legally permitted.

For example, construction, fossil fuel, and agricultural industries will have to phase out microplastic use, and products such as detergents and cosmetics will no longer be allowed to carry microplastics.

Various forms of microplastic that unintentionally pollute the environment in massive quantities, such as from tire erosion, are not targeted and would require industries to find completely new materials.

The measure was proposed by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), which will study its impact and feasibility over the next 18 months, at which point a recommendation will be made to the EU parliament. Afterwards, the ban could be implemented in under a year,

Read the full article about banning microplastics by Joe McCarthy and Erica Sanchez at Global Citizen.