Wet wipes containing plastic are finally set to be banned across the UK as ministers warn a ‘step change’ is needed to protect the country’s rivers.
The long-awaited announcement comes after a campaign against the products which have been blamed for hundreds of thousands of blockages in the UK sewer system costing millions of pounds a year.
Manufacturers have also come under fire discarded wipes increasingly littering Britain’s beaches.
Under plans to be set out by the environment secretary Steve Barclay it will become illegal to sell or supply wet wipes which contain plastic.
The advertising authorities should have knocked that nonsense on the head years ago. I was explaining it to someone the other week and they were surprised to find out that “flushable” wipes aren’t.
It’s a perfect example of how lobbying and misinformation can be so difficult to overcome. The impact of ‘flushable’ wipes is known and significant yet rules aren’t put in place to stop it. I wonder why…