Wet wipes could be BANNED under new eco crackdown, says minister

MOST wet wipes could be BANNED to stop them harming the planet and blocking toilets, the Environment Secretary has suggested.

George Eustice has blamed the loo-cloggers for the overwhelming majority of sewer jams and is considering scrapping ones made from polluting plastics.

Reuters

George Eustice blamed the loo-cloggers for the majority of blockages[/caption]

Eleven BILLION non biodegradable wet wipes are thrown away every year and cause 93 per cent of blockages.

A push by Labour MP Fleur Anderson to swap them for eco-friendly alternatives which disintegrate is being put to Parliament today.

Asked if ministers support her bill, Mr Eustice opened the door to taking on the plumber’s peril himself.

He said: “Because people don’t really understand it they flush them down toilets.

“They are associated with the vast majority of blockages that we’re seeing in our sewer system, so called fatbergs often have wet wipes as the source of the problem.

“And there are more sustainable materials that can be used, biodegradable materials, and so we’re having a consultation on whether we should bring forward regulations to restrict the types of material that can be used.”

Because wet wipes don’t break up in the sewer they turn into rock-like clumps that gum up drains.

The Government has previously said it would crack down on wet wipes as part of its plan to rid all single use plastic within 25 years.

Labour’s Ms Anderson has seizes upon the ongoing Cop26 climate summit to reignite demands for action.

She claims one sewage station in East London removes 30 tonnes of wet wipes every day.

She said: “In 2019, 23,000 wet wipes were counted and removed from a single stretch of the Thames foreshore in just two hours.

“That is even more terrifying when you consider that our reliance on wet wipes is growing day by day.

“It isn’t just causing environmental damage and polluting our marine environments, it is also costing water companies around £100 million per year to clear 300,000 blockages.

“That is money that then ends up on our water bills each month.”

The mother-of-four said she’s not trying to outlaw the handbag staple but simply switch them with ones without microplastics.