Wet wipes containing plastic to be banned in the UK under new government plans

Wet wipes containing plastic are set to be banned from being sold in the UK under new plans drawn up by the government.

The UK’s Environment Secretary Steve Barclay is set to announce new plans for new legislation banning the product on Monday, April 22. It comes after a long-running campaign by environmental groups following concern over the impact the wipes, which contain microplastics, have on water pollution.

The new law would see it become illegal to sell or supply wet wipes containing plastic in England by the parliament’s summer recess in July, with the rest of the UK to follow by autumn. Products that could be impacted by the ban include make-up wipes, cleaning wipes and baby wipes.

Mr Barclay said: “I have been clear that a step change is needed to protect our waterways from pollution. The ban builds on a raft of actions already taken to protect our waterways and hold water companies accountable, including accelerating investment, putting water company fines back into the environment and quadrupling the number of inspections of water company sites.”

Environmental groups have previously raised concerns about the wipes damaging ecosystems and contributing to water pollution due to the breakdown of the microplastics seeping into the water system. There was also concern about discarded wipes, which do not biodegrade, being found on Britain’s beaches. According to Defra Beach Litter Monitoring Data, an average of 20 wet wipes were found per 100m of beach surveyed across the UK from 2015 to 2020.

The ban is set to be introduced after gaining overwhelming public support in in a public consultation in which 95% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with prohibiting the sale of the products in the UK. This was up from 90% in a 2021 consultation.

Jane Martin, chief executive of City To Sea, said: “It’s a positive step forward to see the government take definitive action on banning this pollutant, but action must not end there. The Government should now look to tackle all single-use plastic products through further bans and mandated reuse and refill targets.”

Labour has also welcomed the move, but have also urged the Tories to go further with “a full ban on the sale, supply and manufacture of plastic wet wipes”. The party also added that the Conservatives have delayed on previous promises made 2018 to ban the item in a crackdown on plastic waste.

Shadow environment secretary Steve Reed said: “Plastic wet wipes clog up our sewers, kill wildlife and lead to sewage backing up into people’s homes. The Conservatives have broken their promises to act and are too weak to ban them outright.”

Some stores in the UK have already made moves to ban the sale of plastic wet wipes from their stores. This includes supermarkets Aldi and Tesco, as well as high street health and beauty store Boots.

Steve Ager, chief customer and commercial officer at Boots, said: “We are pleased to see the government now taking action as a ban on all wet wipes containing plastic will have a much bigger impact than retailers taking action alone. We all have a collective responsibility to protect the environment and support a healthy planet.”