Wet wipes: UK government begins consultation on ban

Wipes flushed down the toilet in London are sometimes found on the capital's riverbanks

The UK government has begun a six-week consultation on whether to ban the making and selling of plastic wet wipes.

Wet wipes containing plastics are harmful to the environment as once flushed, they can cause huge blockages in drains and sewers.

Many wet wipes are not designed to be flushed and those containing plastic fibres do not break down in water, like toilet paper does.

Some companies, including Boots and Tesco, have already stopped the sale of wet wipes which contain plastic.

Why are wet wipes a problem?

Wet wipes flushed down toilets cause 93% of sewer blockages - called fatbergs.

Water UK say there are around 300,000 blockages a year which cost around £100 million to clean up, with the water industry supporting a plastic wet wipe ban.

Wet wipes containing plastic also break down into microplastics over time, which can be harmful to the environment and human health.

The government say "Banning wet wipes containing plastic would help alleviate this issue, as well as reducing the volume of microplastics entering wastewater treatment plants when wrongly flushed."

Wet wipe consultation - what happens next?

The consultation, which includes the Scottish and Welsh governments, began on 14 October and will run until 25 November.

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said: "Wet wipes containing plastic are unnecessary and are polluting our environment."

The government first outlined a plans for a plastic wet wipe ban in 2018, and after seeking advice from experts, a survey in 2021 showed that nearly all of those asked (96%), were in favour of the ban.

Now critics, including environmental groups, have complained that a final decision is taking too long.

The House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee has described the six week consultation as "unnecessary" and "deeply damaging to the environment".

The government said "Today's plan shows we will continue to tackle plastic pollution in our waterways."

The proposed ban on plastic wet wipes follows a single-use plastic ban on items such as plates, bowls, trays, containers, cutlery and balloon sticks on 1 October.

The Government said it wants to remove all avoidable plastic waste by 2042.