Chichester Harbour Conservancy welcomes the ban on selling plastic wet wipes that has been signed into law in England today. Plastic and microplastic pollution have a significant impact on the water quality and marine and coastal life of Chichester Harbour. Microplastics have been found within our shellfish, and wet wipes are known to cause significant issues for the treatment of sewage and wastewater. They block pipes and cause fatbergs which cost millions of pounds to clear, money that should be spent on infrastructure improvements to improve our water quality.
No such thing as a flushable wet wipe
However, it is not only plastic wet wipes that cause issues within the treatment of our wastewater. Biodegradable wet wipes labelled as “flushable” can still cause blockages with an impact on our environment.
What you can do – the “Three Ps”
The advice on wet wipes is clear, do not flush ANY wet wipe down the toilet. Only the “three Ps” should be flushed – pee, poo and (toilet) paper. More advice on how to avoid blockages can be found on the Southern Water website here.