The government has expressed plans to “eliminate” wet wipes in the UK within 25 years. Although parents have expressed outrage across the nation, the plan stands as a positive and essential step towards the eradication of unnecessary and toxic waste.
A statement for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said wet wipes would be among the “avoidable plastic waste” it aimed to banish as part of its environmental plan.
Wet wipes are commonly used for wiping babies bottoms, as an alternative to toilet paper, as makeup wipes and in household cleaning. After tens of years of being in circulation, wet wipes are now some of the most damaging items which cause blockages in our waterways and contaminate our oceans, killing helpless marine life.
Thames Water reportedly spends around £1m each month clearing blockages. Whilst the wet wipes which don’t end up stuck end up in the sea. In 2015, volunteers with the Marine Conservation Society found 4,000 wipes washed up on British beaches: that’s a whopping 80 wipes for every mile of coastline they examined.
@SouthernWater tweeted: “We’re thrilled the government is calling for the industry to develop plastic-free wipes! Wet wipes are one of the biggest causes of sewer blockages, which can have a huge impact on the environment & the quality of our bathing waters.”
But despite the detrimental effects of the product in clogging up sewers and killing marine life when flushed down the toilet, a number of parents have insisted the absolute necessity of using wet wipes for those with children.
A number of angry Twitter users have said:
“Never thought I could be this angry over them wanting to ban wet wipes in the UK,”
“Mate, have you tried wiping a baby’s bum with a tissue?”
“Wet wipes are literally god’s gift to the world they work on everything.”
The spokeswoman for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs stated that the organisation was working with manufacturers and retailers of wet wipes to make sure the labeling clearly states how to dispose of them efficiently.
Here’s a tip…
Just over a year ago now I decided to ditch make-up wipes altogether. Although they’re very handy after a long day and remove makeup quickly, I found that when I used makeup wipes, they made my skin really dry and stung my eyes. I vowed never to buy another pack of makeup wipes. Not only was this decision better for the environment, but it was better for my skin too. Instead of using wet wipes, I bought myself 7 facecloths, one for each day of the week. Every night I now remove my makeup with a cleanser and a wet facecloth. This get’s every last bit of makeup from my face and eyes. Then I just put them in the wash after use. I’ve actually saved money too because I can reuse the facecloths. Winner!
