The Final Straw Foundation welcomes the news that the UK Government has announced its plans to ban wet wipes that contain plastic. 11 billion wet wipes are used in the UK every year, equating to nearly 200 wet wipes per person, and around 90% of them contain plastic.

Plastic not only infiltrates our food chain through the seafood we consume but also exacerbates environmental degradation. Each year, plastic waste is responsible for the deaths of countless marine creatures.

‘Wet wipes containing plastic break down into microplastics over time, which research shows can be harmful to human health and disrupt our ecosystems – with a recent survey showing an average of 20 wet wipes were found per 100 metres of beach surveyed across the UK*.’

*For the period 2015 to 2020, an average of 20 wet wipes were found per 100m of beach surveyed across the UK according to Defra Beach Litter Monitoring Data.

Banning these wet wipes will contribute to the reduction of microplastics entering our seas, something the public has shown they are passionate about. In a government survey, 95% of respondents strongly agreed with the proposed legislation, which will be introduced via the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said, ‘Defra will introduce legislation before the summer recess to crack down on this unnecessary source of pollution, following our successful single-use carrier bag charge and ban on microbeads in personal care products.‘ 

Wet wipes are one of the most prevalent pieces of waste we find on our beach cleans, and it is disheartening to see that people are still unaware that they can not flush them down the toilet. This is something that the Final Straw Foundation is going to be tackling in 2024 and into 2025.

Learn more about the ban on the UK Government website.