The government is considering a ban on wet wipes that contain plastic in an attempt to cut the pollution of wipes caused by them being flushed down the loo.
There have been islands about the same size as two tennis courts, that were created by people throwing wipes into the ocean. Wipes have been found 50 to 200 square meters apart. Another problem is the wipes and rubbish clogging the sewage pipes (called ‘fatbergs’). Cotton pads and ear swabs are also found in fat bergs and trash islands.
Many people are trying to find another way to make wipes without using plastic so it can’t do damage, like using a source such as bamboo that will dissolve in the water so it doesn’t pollute the sea. Rebecca Pow an environment minister said “[w]hat I would say to everybody is if you don’t need to use a wet pipe don’t, but also don’t chuck them down the loo.”
Animals can also mistake the wipes for food and try to eat them. “90 percent of wipes that are used in the United Kingdom have plastics that will turn into micro plastics,” said the NewsRoom Team. The plastics are also being mistaken for food and killing wildlife, also polluting the seas.
11 billion wet wipes have been used in the UK, but many of these find themselves in the toilet other than the trash can.
Materials such as polyester, polypropylene, cotton, wood pulp, or rayon are used in the making of wet wipes. Therefore, the tangled masses found in pipes and rivers are actually accumulations of plastics molded together by fats, oils and greases, which make the mound hard and difficult to move. So remember when you want to flush something down the toilet, to only flush the 3 p’s too: pee, poo, and toilet paper.
Link:
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-wet-wipe-island-has-changed-the-course-of-the-thames-river-in-england
There have been islands about the same size as two tennis courts, that were created by people throwing wipes into the ocean. Wipes have been found 50 to 200 square meters apart. Another problem is the wipes and rubbish clogging the sewage pipes (called ‘fatbergs’). Cotton pads and ear swabs are also found in fat bergs and trash islands.
Many people are trying to find another way to make wipes without using plastic so it can’t do damage, like using a source such as bamboo that will dissolve in the water so it doesn’t pollute the sea. Rebecca Pow an environment minister said “[w]hat I would say to everybody is if you don’t need to use a wet pipe don’t, but also don’t chuck them down the loo.”
Animals can also mistake the wipes for food and try to eat them. “90 percent of wipes that are used in the United Kingdom have plastics that will turn into micro plastics,” said the NewsRoom Team. The plastics are also being mistaken for food and killing wildlife, also polluting the seas.
11 billion wet wipes have been used in the UK, but many of these find themselves in the toilet other than the trash can.
Materials such as polyester, polypropylene, cotton, wood pulp, or rayon are used in the making of wet wipes. Therefore, the tangled masses found in pipes and rivers are actually accumulations of plastics molded together by fats, oils and greases, which make the mound hard and difficult to move. So remember when you want to flush something down the toilet, to only flush the 3 p’s too: pee, poo, and toilet paper.
Link:
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-wet-wipe-island-has-changed-the-course-of-the-thames-river-in-england
