Wet wipes containing plastic will be banned in England under plans to tackle water pollution, caused by them being flushed down the lavatory.
Environment minister Therese Coffey said the ban on plastic-based wipes would come into force next year following a consultation.
Last year, a ‘wet wipe island’ the size of two tennis courts appeared on the Thames. This prompted ministers to ask people to stop using the items.
Rebecca Pow, an environmental minister, said that if people needed to use the wipes, then they should not then flush them down the drain afterwards.
Labour MP Fleur Anderson said that large mounds of wet wipes and waste were changing the shape of rivers, as well as polluting water.
Wet wipes also constitute nearly 90 per cent of the materials contained in “fat bergs”. These are build-ups of grease and household waste that can block sewers.
What is the wet wipe ban?
As part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)’s wider plans to improve water quality in England, it has announced a ban on plastic-based wet wipes from next year.
In 2018, the Government first announced its plans to eliminate plastic water, including wet wipes.
Then in 2021, a Government consultation on banning wet wipes found 96 per cent of people said they supported the idea.
Earlier this year, the Government decided against banning wet wipes, following another consultation.
Companies such as Boots and Tesco have already stopped the sale of wet wipes containing plastic from their shops.
The plans have been well received by water companies, which are tasked with clearing up blockages caused by wet wipes. However, opposition and environmental groups say they do not go far enough.
What was the ‘wet wipe island’ and how did it change the Thames?
The ‘wet wipe island’ was caused by an influx of wet wipes. These entered the Thames through sewage pipes after they had been flushed down the toilet.
Most wet wipes contain plastic and, because of this, they can cause blockages which back up sewage. They then spilled into the Thames.
Research reportedly showed that there were so many wet wipes building up in the Thames that they were changing the shape of the riverbed.
When they end up on the foreshore, they break down into microplastic, and damage aquatic life, as well as the Thames’ ecosystem.
Environmental charity Thames21 has been calling for a ban on the sale of all wet wipes containing plastic.
The charity is also urging regulation requiring clear labelling of how to dispose of wet wipes to avoid consumer confusion. It highlighted this in its response to the Government’s consultation.
It said that if plastic in wet wipes were banned, this would help to reduce this sewage-based pollution ending up in the Thames — and reduce microplastics in the river system.
Thames 21 volunteers in 2021 picked up more than 27,000 wipes in two days at a separate site next to Battersea Bridge.
Thames21 has been documenting the types of plastic litter washed up on foreshores along London’s iconic river over the past seven years.
In just under five years, one mound grew by 1.4 metres in height and covered the area of two tennis courts, data from Tideway and the Port of London Authority (PLA) shows.
At key hotspots, wet wipes were found in densities of up to 50 to 200 per square metre.
Debbie Leach, CEO at Thames21, said in 2022: “Our volunteers record and clear away mountains of wet wipes every year, as we’ve seen at this year’s Big Wet Wipe Count. These modern pollutants are harmful for wildlife and people.
“As people use the River Thames for leisure activities, there is a danger that these polluted mounds could affect their health.
“We are urgently calling on the Government to work faster and do more to end this form of sewage-based pollution that is having a devastating impact on the River Thames and ban plastic in wet wipes.”
