New solution to plastic pollution

Academics from the University of Bath have come up with a biodegradable alternative for microbeads.

Microbeads are tiny plastic particles used in beauty and skincare products and, despite the fact that bans on their use are coming into force they will continue to be washed out into the oceans, consumed by marine life which humans then eat, allowing potentially harmful effects on the body.

Scientists working at Bath University have now come up with a method to make microbeads out of cellulose, a starch found in wood and plants.

Tests have been carried which show the beads can be processed to be soft or hard but can also biodegrade into sugar in a short period of time.

Every year we pollute the oceans with increasing amounts of manmade debris such as plastic bags, plastic packaging, and plastic bottles. You can find out more about the harmful effects of plastic pollution on whales and dolphins,

Find out more about plastic pollution and what you can do to help.