Cornish environmentalists have called for a total ban on plastic microbeads – the tiny granules found in some facial scrubs. A coalition of 30 Cornish groups wrote an open letter to the Government about the issue last Wednesday – World Oceans Day. The USA has recently banned the use of microbeads in facial scrubs and toothpates, and groups such as Looe Marine Conservation Group and Rame Peninsula Beach Care (RPBC) want the UK to do the same. A single pack of facial scrub can contain up to two million plastic granules which are washed off and go straight down the drain, says RPBC’s Claire Wallerstein. ‘Minuscule plastic granules found in many cosmetics have been shown to be readily ingested by zooplankton.’ Safe and easy alternatives include salt or ground apricot kernels.