UK to ban sale of wet wipes containing plastic

Wet wipes containing plastic will be banned from sale in the UK, with Environment Secretary Steve Barclay expected to announce the legislation today.

The government plans to introduce the legislation before the summer recess of Parliament begins in July.

The new laws will make it illegal to sell wet wipes containing plastic in England before covering the rest of the UK in the autumn.

Discarded wipes often litter UK beaches and eventually break down into microplastics, causing water pollution and damaging ecosystems.

Many retailers – including Boots, Aldi and Tesco – have moved to It is prohibited to remove them from the shelves.

Mr Barclay said the ban “builds on a range of actions that have been taken to protect our waterways and hold water companies to account”.

He said other actions included “accelerating investment, redirecting water company fines back into the environment and quadrupling the number of inspections of water company sites”.

However, Labor said the legislation did not go far enough and called for a “total ban on the sale, supply and manufacture of plastic wipes”.

They also point out that the Conservatives first pledged to ban wet wipes in 2018.

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Today’s proposals follow a consultation which showed overwhelming support for the move, with campaigners welcoming the news while also calling on the government to take further action.

Jane Martin, chief executive of environmental group City To Sea, said: “The government’s clear action to ban this pollutant is a positive step forward, but the action must not end there.

“The government should now tackle the issue of all single-use plastic products with further bans and mandatory reuse and refill targets.”

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Plastic crisis ‘out of control’
Why beach cleaning is important