Wet wipes Bill moves to second reading

Putney’s Labour MP, Fleur Anderson, has secured a second reading on 19 November for her Plastics (Wet Wipes) Bill.

Her Ten Minute Rule Bill, introduced on 2 November, sought to ban the manufacture and sale of wet wipes containing plastic to prevent “untold damage to our water systems and marine environments”.

In Parliament, Anderson noted Defra’s 2018 promise to target plastic-containing wet wipes in its bid to eliminate all avoidable single-use plastic within 25 years and said: “But where is that ban? I hope that my Bill gives the Department the nudge.” She said about 90% of wet wipe products contain some form of plastic, which breaks down into microplastics that never dissolve or biodegrade.

Anderson’s campaign has been supported by Thames Water and Water UK, as well as Green Alliance, WWF, Thames 21 and the Marine Conservation Society.