Traverse City commissioners have unanimously adopted a resolution urging residents to avoid the use of personal care products containing microbeads. The small plastic particles, which are non-decomposable, are often found in facial scrubs, soaps and other household or beauty products. Small enough to pass through wastewater treatment plants and discharge into the Great Lakes, microbeads can collect toxic chemical pollutants on their surface and can be mistaken for food by fish or wildlife - contamination that can be passed back to humans.

Traverse City Mayor Michael Estes sent the city's resolution to Governor Rick Snyder and key members of the Michigan legislature who are working to prohibit the manufacture of personal care products containing microbeads. "We all treasure our beautiful natural resources," says Estes, "and those resources can be protected when we make the choice at checkout to not purchase personal care products containing microbeads."