Tag: wet wipes

Wet wipes containing plastic to be banned

Action to protect the environment and marine waters

The sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic in Scotland will be banned from 11 August 2027 under regulations published today.

Wet wipes containing plastic are a common and persistent source of marine litter and can break down into microplastics over time, harming the natural environment.

The move is part of wider action to protect Scotland’s environment and marine waters and includes a transition period for businesses to help them prepare.

The measures will include exemptions for medical and industrial uses as well as business-to-business sales. Members of the public who require specific wet wipes containing plastic for medical or healthcare reasons will also be able to request these from a pharmacy.

A ban will be introduced in all four nations of the UK following a UK-wide consultation in 2023, which found overwhelming public support for the proposals, with over 93% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing to the move.

Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin said: “Wet wipes containing plastic are an unnecessary single-use item, for which more environmentally friendly alternatives already exist. 

“As with all single-use items, it is vital they are disposed of correctly, otherwise they become a problematic source of marine litter and a threat to the health of our environment and wildlife.

“This ban delivers on an important commitment made in our Marine Litter Strategy and builds on previous actions to ban unnecessary single-use plastic items such as plastic-stemmed cotton buds, plastic straws, cutlery and single use vapes.

“These policies are all proof of the progress we are making towards protecting our environment and creating a more circular economy. In addition, we will continue to call on the UK Government to address issues such as misleading claims on product packaging which can lead to incorrect disposal of items such as wet wipes.”

Scottish Water Chief Executive, Alex Plant, said: “This ban will help us tackle one of the biggest challenges we face – responding to and clearing around 35,000 blockages every year in our sewers, at a cost of about £10 million, largely due to wet wipes wrongly flushed down toilets.

“Scottish Water’s Nature Calls campaign has led the way in making the case for a ban – and encourages everyone to bin wet wipes and stick to the 3Ps – flushing only pee, poo and toilet paper. 

“We are also calling on the UK Government for mandatory responsible ‘do not flush’ labelling for all bathroom products that risk being wrongly disposed of to sewers, and an end to misleading environmental claims on packaging to reduce customer confusion and reinforce the correct disposal option.

“This issue is reserved and the critical next step to reduce blockages further and prevent environmental harm.”

Millions of makeup wipes piled as high as the Eiffel Tower going to landfills every day


Time to clean up our makeup habits

We’re flushing away or binning an astonishing 11 billion wet wipes every year which can take up to 100 years to biodegrade.

BusinessWaste.co.uk, waste management specialists, are concerned about the volume of waste being created by the number of makeup wipes and says that women and men across their country need to change their ways.

“Makeup wipes are the quickest and cheapest way to remove makeup on the market, but this doesn’t mean they’re the best option for the environment,” says Mark Hall, company spokesman.

But as global sales of all wet wipes are set to hit £16 billion by 2021, it’s time to scrub away our nations unhealthy habits of using makeup wipes, he says.

Time to clean up

We all know that using makeup wipes is bad for the environment, but because they’re an incredibly convenient way to remove makeup, it’s easy to convince yourself that one wipe a day won’t cause too much damage.

Millions of consumers rely on makeup wipes as they promise to wash away the day in seconds using just one product, making them cost effective and a low maintenance part of their daily routines.

But despite the plush cotton feel makeup wipes have on your face, they actually contain a mix of plastic fibres such as polyester and polypropylene which prevent them from biodegrading.

BusinessWaste.co.uk warns that they break down into micro-plastics and smaller fibres which will end up polluting the oceans and entering the food chain.

“With such a high number of wipes being used, there’s a lot of single-use plastic coming into the world,” says spokesperson Mark Hall, “the only way to prevent this happening is to stop using them.”

To add to the damage, makeup wipes and other wet wipes are not recyclable, meaning that the only way they can be properly disposed of is to put them into your rubbish bin.

“For heavens sake do not flush makeup wipes down the toilet,” warns Mark Hall, “you’ll only break your toilet and block up the sewers. You don’t want poo flooding your bathroom, do you?”

“I know it’s hard to get hold of toilet paper at the moment, but this is not the answer.”

With 9.3 million wet wipes being flushed down the loo every day, they account for a staggering 93% of all sewer blockages, and makeup wipes are a big contribution to this problem.

BusinessWaste.co.uk explain that flushing anything other than toilet paper down the loo could add to ‘fatbergs’ in the sewers, which are caused by a build-up of fat and non-biodegradable materials such as wet wipes, which can lead to sewers blocking or overflowing.

Fortunately, several brands are leading the way, such as high street store Holland & Barrett pledging to remove all wet wipes from their stores***, and brand Huggies aiming to remove all plastics from their wipes in the next five years.****

“Thank god people are taking action, otherwise our entire planet is going to be covered in a layer of makeup wipes,” says Hall, “imagine a squishy wet wipe mush underfoot everywhere you go. Yuck.”

What alternatives are there?

With many people knowing that makeup wipes are bad news for the environment, alternative ways to remove makeup are becoming increasingly popular, so why isn’t everyone is making the change?

“I’ll admit, I buy the cheap makeup wipes from the supermarket, but then I end up using 4 instead of 1,” says shopper Heidi in Lancaster, “but I still think it’s cheaper than whatever else is out there.”

Makeup wipes can cost as little as a pound for a pack, whereas plastic free alternatives can cost ten times that, so it’s easy to see why people are finding it hard to make the switch.

We’ve put together a list of inexpensive alternatives to help people cut down on makeup wipe use.

  • Try one of the many cleansers such as micellar water available on the market with a flannel, a bottle can last for ages, and the flannel is washable
  • Invest in a washable makeup remover cloth which only needs to be run under a tap before use. It can be chucked in your washing machine when you’ve used it, which over time will be much cheaper than restocking on makeup wipes
  • Use a gentle soap and some water and little bit of arm power
  • Stop wearing makeup every day, saves on wipes and saves you money! This is the ideal lockdown solution

Ultimately, we need to get people to realise that makeup wipes are a single-use plastic, like carrier bags and straws, says company spokesman Mark Hall.

“If people can take their own bags to the supermarket, then they can wipe out the wet wipe.”

Coach Tour chief’s alarm over ‘shocking’ Silverknowes beach pollution

Staff from Granton-based Timberbush Tours, one of the country’s leading coach tour operators, recently completed its voluntary annual ‘beach clean day’ along the foreshore at Silverknowes, helping to lessen the visual and harmful impact plastic waste has on our local environment. Continue reading Coach Tour chief’s alarm over ‘shocking’ Silverknowes beach pollution