hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
Thank goodness for that says I...altho' I do use wet wipes occasionally myself the problem is unlike me.. millions flush them down the loo and are polluting our waterways and causing microplastics to enter the environment.
The microplastics shed by wet wipes can accumulate biological and chemical pollutants. This poses a risk when they enter the food chain of aquatic life and humans.
Responses to a public consultation found overwhelming support for the proposed ban with 95 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing.
At the same time, many manufacturers have already switched to plastic-free versions, demonstrating there is no need to the polluting wipes.
The news has been welcomed by environment groups which have long been campaigning for a ban.
Defra will introduce legislation before the summer recess to crack down on this unnecessary source of pollution,
Chief executive of City to Sea, Jane Martin, said: 'In the UK, we now use over 10.8 billion wet wipes per year - that's an insane 38,000 wet wipes each over our lifetime.
'Clogging waterways and leaching microplastics into the environment, wet wipes have become an unwelcome stain on the UK that cannot simply be wiped away.
'It's a positive step forward to see the government take definitive action on banning this pollutant, but action must not end there. The government should now look to tackle all single-use plastic products through further bans and mandated reuse and refill targets.'
SThe chief executive of River Action, James Wallace, said: 'While this is welcome, it has been more than half a decade since the Government promised to outlaw plastic in wet wipes.
'Make no mistake, this delay has come at a terrible cost to the environment..'
Britain to ban plastic wet wipes in world first after Mail campaign
The microplastics shed by wet wipes can accumulate biological and chemical pollutants. This poses a risk when they enter the food chain of aquatic life and humans.
Responses to a public consultation found overwhelming support for the proposed ban with 95 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing.
At the same time, many manufacturers have already switched to plastic-free versions, demonstrating there is no need to the polluting wipes.
The news has been welcomed by environment groups which have long been campaigning for a ban.
Defra will introduce legislation before the summer recess to crack down on this unnecessary source of pollution,
Chief executive of City to Sea, Jane Martin, said: 'In the UK, we now use over 10.8 billion wet wipes per year - that's an insane 38,000 wet wipes each over our lifetime.
'Clogging waterways and leaching microplastics into the environment, wet wipes have become an unwelcome stain on the UK that cannot simply be wiped away.
'It's a positive step forward to see the government take definitive action on banning this pollutant, but action must not end there. The government should now look to tackle all single-use plastic products through further bans and mandated reuse and refill targets.'
SThe chief executive of River Action, James Wallace, said: 'While this is welcome, it has been more than half a decade since the Government promised to outlaw plastic in wet wipes.
'Make no mistake, this delay has come at a terrible cost to the environment..'
Britain to ban plastic wet wipes in world first after Mail campaign
