An island on the Thames River, near Hammersmith, is growing. It is now the size of a couple of tennis courts. People flushing wipes, diapers, and paper towels have given the island of garbage more mass.
The UK uses more than 10 billion disposable wipes every year. They are usually flushed down the toilet instead of being thrown away. If many people flush down wipes, this can cause fatbergs. Fatbergs are blockages in the sewers that clog the water system. They are mostly created by fat, oil, and grease that collect over time. It is a combination of the words “fat” and “iceberg”. Fatbergs can be huge. The largest fatberg was 820 feet (250 meters) long. It weighed 400 tons. Some scientists say that there could be bigger ones. Fatbergs need to be treated because they cause several problems. It can result in wastewater leaking into gardens and properties. They block the inner lining of the sewer pipes. However, fatbergs are no longer the only problems caused by improper waste disposing techniques. It also builds the island in the Thames. This is what has constantly been polluting the river. Some marine animals can mistake it for food.
Wipes also contain plastics. As you know, plastic is the main polluter of water, animals, and soil. More plastic can be dissolved into the Thames River because of the wet wipes.
An environmental minister said, “What I would say to everybody is if you don’t need to use a wet wipe don’t, but also don’t chuck them down the loo,”.
About 90% of the wipes used in the UK become microplastics. Scientists are trying to find a way to make wipes out of bamboo, which decomposes in water. That isn’t the only thing that can decompose in water.
We shouldn’t only stop flushing wipes down the toilet, and we should also preserve our environment by avoiding wipes that contain plastic.
The UK uses more than 10 billion disposable wipes every year. They are usually flushed down the toilet instead of being thrown away. If many people flush down wipes, this can cause fatbergs. Fatbergs are blockages in the sewers that clog the water system. They are mostly created by fat, oil, and grease that collect over time. It is a combination of the words “fat” and “iceberg”. Fatbergs can be huge. The largest fatberg was 820 feet (250 meters) long. It weighed 400 tons. Some scientists say that there could be bigger ones. Fatbergs need to be treated because they cause several problems. It can result in wastewater leaking into gardens and properties. They block the inner lining of the sewer pipes. However, fatbergs are no longer the only problems caused by improper waste disposing techniques. It also builds the island in the Thames. This is what has constantly been polluting the river. Some marine animals can mistake it for food.
Wipes also contain plastics. As you know, plastic is the main polluter of water, animals, and soil. More plastic can be dissolved into the Thames River because of the wet wipes.
An environmental minister said, “What I would say to everybody is if you don’t need to use a wet wipe don’t, but also don’t chuck them down the loo,”.
About 90% of the wipes used in the UK become microplastics. Scientists are trying to find a way to make wipes out of bamboo, which decomposes in water. That isn’t the only thing that can decompose in water.
We shouldn’t only stop flushing wipes down the toilet, and we should also preserve our environment by avoiding wipes that contain plastic.
