Defra slammed for ‘slow and weak’ wet wipe reform

Environment secretary Therese Coffey has written to the manufacturers of wet wipes to ask them “to reconsider” wording on packaging, which may mislead consumers into believing wet wipes are safe to flush.

Despite the government’s Plan for Water, published last month, promising to accelerate plans to end the sale of wipes containing plastic, Coffey’s letter only sets out concerns rather than demanding action.

Fleur Anderson, Labour MP who spearheaded a campaign to ban plastic wipes, described the Department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) response as “frustrating to see”.

She said: “Government action is constantly too slow and too weak on wet wipes. There should have been a change in labelling and a ban on manufacture with plastic years ago. Instead we just have a letter asking producers to do better and no mention of a ban on plastic in production at all.”

Water minister Rebecca Pow said it was “vital that producers are more transparent with their guidance on flushability”.

Wet wipes, when flushed, contribute to 94% of sewer blockages that ultimately damage the environment. The water sector has long campaigned for action to be taken to force manufacturers to remove words such as flushable from packaging on the grounds that consumers do not recognise the damage the wipes can do.

Anderson added: “The Government constantly let the plastic manufactures get away with profiting from damaging our environment and leave it to consumers to try to work out what to do.”

Water companies spend around £100 million of billpayer money annually on clearing these preventable blockages. Water UK has coordinated a campaign encouraging householders to bin wipes and to look for the ‘Fine to Flush’ symbol on products.

The Bin the Wipe campaign builds upon work by Northumbrian Water to tackle blockage hotspots by targeting advice and recommendations where there are persistent problems from non-flushables.

Anderson raised a private members bill in Parliament in November 2021 to ban plastics in wet wipes, which she reintroduced in 2022 and received wide support.

Defra’s approach to tackling plastic pollution faced criticism when it was included in the Plan for Water because the Conservatives pledged to address wet wipes in 2018 and 2021 without tangible action.