New Yorkers may find it more difficult to clean up after themselves, after the Big Apple's plan to ban Tide PODS and other laundry detergent packs in a bid to save residents from the scourge of single-use plastics.Under the so-called ‘Pods are Plastics’ bill, it would be illegal to sell any laundry and dishwasher pods, as well as laundry and dishwasher sheets, that include polyvinyl alcohol. The latest greenwashed virtue signalling would also require education and outreach to retail and wholesale businesses on compliance with the requirements of the law.Fines for selling the pods would start at $400, double for a second violation and top off at $1,200 for flouting the rules more than three times. If passed the bylaw would take effect on January 1 2026..“I think the science is ultimately going to bear out this is something council should act upon…”Democrats councilman James Gennaro.Polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA, is used as a film in the pods that dissolves in water during a wash cycle. But scientists maintain that it breaks down into tiny microplastic particles that pollute waterways and slip through filtration systems.According to studies, about 19,000 tonnes of PVA are used each year in pods, with more than 8,000 tonnes left untreated.According to city councilman James Gennaro, a Democrat, who proposed the bill: “They (PVAs) are the most concerning of emerging contaminants.” “It’s important for people to know I’m being very cautious and we’re taking a science-based approach,” he told the New York Post. “But I think the science is ultimately going to bear out this is something council should act upon… I put the bill out to get everyone’s attention.”The impact of PVAs in the environment isn’t well understood because they’ve only come into common use since 2012. Since then they’re being increasingly found in dishwashing detergent and even food, including protein shake pods that can be dropped into a liquid, shaken up and consumed, as well as edible coatings to extend the shelf life of fruit and vegetables..But pod proponents say they eliminate more than one million plastic bottles a year; a single one takes 450 years to break down. The American Cleaning Institute, which represents major producers of household and industrial cleaning products, said in a statement that “detergent packets, along with the ingredients they encapsulate, are safe to use in the home and meet rigorous test methods to ensure they fully dissolve and biodegrade quickly in wastewater treatment after use.”
New Yorkers may find it more difficult to clean up after themselves, after the Big Apple's plan to ban Tide PODS and other laundry detergent packs in a bid to save residents from the scourge of single-use plastics.Under the so-called ‘Pods are Plastics’ bill, it would be illegal to sell any laundry and dishwasher pods, as well as laundry and dishwasher sheets, that include polyvinyl alcohol. The latest greenwashed virtue signalling would also require education and outreach to retail and wholesale businesses on compliance with the requirements of the law.Fines for selling the pods would start at $400, double for a second violation and top off at $1,200 for flouting the rules more than three times. If passed the bylaw would take effect on January 1 2026..“I think the science is ultimately going to bear out this is something council should act upon…”Democrats councilman James Gennaro.Polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA, is used as a film in the pods that dissolves in water during a wash cycle. But scientists maintain that it breaks down into tiny microplastic particles that pollute waterways and slip through filtration systems.According to studies, about 19,000 tonnes of PVA are used each year in pods, with more than 8,000 tonnes left untreated.According to city councilman James Gennaro, a Democrat, who proposed the bill: “They (PVAs) are the most concerning of emerging contaminants.” “It’s important for people to know I’m being very cautious and we’re taking a science-based approach,” he told the New York Post. “But I think the science is ultimately going to bear out this is something council should act upon… I put the bill out to get everyone’s attention.”The impact of PVAs in the environment isn’t well understood because they’ve only come into common use since 2012. Since then they’re being increasingly found in dishwashing detergent and even food, including protein shake pods that can be dropped into a liquid, shaken up and consumed, as well as edible coatings to extend the shelf life of fruit and vegetables..But pod proponents say they eliminate more than one million plastic bottles a year; a single one takes 450 years to break down. The American Cleaning Institute, which represents major producers of household and industrial cleaning products, said in a statement that “detergent packets, along with the ingredients they encapsulate, are safe to use in the home and meet rigorous test methods to ensure they fully dissolve and biodegrade quickly in wastewater treatment after use.”
