The Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Simon Coveney, T.D., invites submissions, observations and comments on a  proposal to legislate for the prohibition of the sale, manufacture and import of certain cosmetics, personal care products and detergents containing plastic microbeads.

The objective of this public consultation process is to invite stakeholders to feed into the consultative process in relation to the proposed legislation.

Why are we launching a Public Consultation?

The extent of the marine litter problem and the harm it causes to the environment have yet to be established and are subject to ongoing research.  However, it is clear that this is an issue that we need to address at the very least on a precautionary basis. Marine litter also causes socio-economic harm, such as affecting tourism and consumer confidence in seafood. We are seeking information and views that will inform the development of the proposed legislation.

How to get involved

The Department is inviting any interested parties to make submissions to help inform the legislative process.

To get involved, please complete the online microbead survey (link is external) or email your observations or comments to msfd@housing.gov.ie.

To assist you, relevant documents may be accessed on the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government website. These include a summary document outlining why the consultation is taking place, which includes a questionnaire and OSPAR's Regional Action Plan for the Prevention and Management of Marine Litter in the North Atlantic.