The UK government’s response to the consultation said respondents “emphasised the need to reduce pollution and protect the environment and infrastructure”. It continued that respondents said wet wipes containing plastic are an unnecessary source of plastic pollution, particularly in waterways.
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay commented: “Wet wipes containing plastic are polluting our waterways and causing microplastics to enter the environment. Defra will introduce legislation before the summer recess to crack down on this unnecessary source of pollution, following our successful single-use carrier bag charge and ban on microbeads in personal care products.
95% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the proposed ban on wet wipes containing plastic. Over 96% of responses from members of the public and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) either agreed or strongly agreed with the proposed ban.
