James Greiff , Columnist

A Cosmetic Fix Won't Save Our Seas

U.S. ban on microbeads will help but it can't stem global tide of trash.

January 6, 2016 at 7:18 PM UTC

James Greiff is an editor for Bloomberg Opinion. He was Wall Street news team leader at Bloomberg News and senior editor for Bloomberg Markets magazine. He previously reported on banking for the St. Petersburg Times and the Charlotte Observer.

Swimming with sacks in Manila Bay.
Photographer: Jay Directo/AFP/Getty Images

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It's a rare day when Congress can reach bipartisan agreement. Rarer still is agreement on a measure to protect the environment.

So it seemed almost shocking that just before the holiday break Congress passed -- without opposition -- a bill to ban the plastic microbeads found in body and facial scrubs and toothpaste. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on Dec. 28.