According to Environment Minister Therese Coffey, wet wipes containing plastic will be outlawed in England as part of plans to combat water pollution. According to Ms Coffey, the prohibition on plastic-based wipes will go into effect after a consultation next year. It is part of a larger strategy to improve water quality in England, where no river or waterway is clean.
However, opposition and environmental organizations criticized the plan as inadequate.
According to Water UK, representing the water industry, wet wipes flushed down toilets cause 93% of sewage blockages, including so-called fatbergs, and cost around £100 million to clean up each year. The government first stated its intention to eradicate plastic waste, including wet wipes, in 2018. In a 2021 government poll on banning wet wipes, 96% of respondents said they agreed. Following another consultation, the government opted against banning wet wipes earlier this year.
A proposed ban on plastic in wet wipes in Wales has yet to be enacted. The Scottish administration consulted on a ban but took no further action.
Some retailers, including Boots and Tesco, have already discontinued the selling of wet wipes containing plastic in their stores.
On Sunday, the government declared that water companies could face unlimited penalties for dumping untreated sewage into rivers and seas without cause. In the last year, there were an estimated 825 sewage spills per day into England's rivers. According to a 2022 parliamentary study, pollution from intensive farming, particularly chicken farms, is the most prevalent source of river contamination.
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Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master, it was rightly said. Electronic devices have grown into an inevitable part of our daily lives.
