Scottish Water has urged the Scottish and UK governments to ban the sale of wet wipes containing plastic, citing the 36,000 blockages it deals with annually, most of which involve wipes. The company launched a five-week advertising campaign on Monday, backed by the Marine Conservation Society, asking people not to flush any wipes down the toilet.
According to Scottish Water, about 90% of wipes still contain plastic, despite some being labelled as 'fine to flush'. The company estimates that clearing blockages costs it around £7 million each year. Brian Lironi, from Scottish Water, said: 'Wipes that get flushed down the toilet are causing horrific problems in our sewer network and dreadful damage to the natural environment.'
The Marine Conservation Society reported that at last year's Great British Beach Clean, an average of 25 wipes were found for every 100 metres of beach surveyed in Scotland. Catherine Gemmell, Scotland conservation officer for the society, said: 'Our toilets can still sadly be gateways to the ocean which is why incorrectly flushed items like plastic wet wipes can be found on beaches across Scotland.'
Under new single market rules, a ban would require agreement from both the Scottish and UK governments. Both administrations are currently running consultations on the issue. Lironi added: 'There is absolutely no need for them. Better products are available and it's high time we took these things off supermarket shelves.'
