Water companies battling blockages caused by wet wipes will have to keep waiting for a decision from government on whether plastic-containing wipes will be banned.
The Department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) will share the results of a consultation and the next steps “soon” according to a senior civil servant, however it remains uncertain for when that will be.
Speaking at the Wastewater 2024 event, Rebecca Frost, head of drainage and wastewater at Defra said the results of a consultation would be published this year.
In October 2023, following bi-partisan support, Defra consulted on banishing plastics from wet wipes. Frost said government remained committed to tackling the pollution problems caused by these plastic-containing wipes.
Wastewater companies spend more than £200 million annually removing blockages from pipes and drains, which are predominantly (95%) composed of wet wipes.
The commitment by Defra to consult on wipes was set out in its Plan for Water, however it was dubbed a “slow and weak” effort.
Defra’s approach to tackling plastic pollution faced criticism when it was included in the Plan for Water, because the Conservatives pledged to address wet wipes in 2018 and 2021 without tangible action.
Alongside the consultation, the then secretary of state Therese Coffey wrote to manufacturers of wet wipes regarding the use of the word “flushable” on packaging.
The term has been blamed for causing confusion to customers who do not understand the impact wipes may have on drains, pipes and the environment. Up to three billion wipes are flushed each year, which can block pipes that in turn cause damage to sewer assets and the environment.
The letter from Coffey asked manufacturers to “reconsider the use of the word flushable” on packaging.
Frost said the letter was an important step for opening the dialogue up with manufacturers about a potential ban and set out the scope of what may or may not be included.
She said work is ongoing to determine what different parties mean as plastic within a wipe, which is helping to inform policy makers.
Water UK spearheaded a campaign to ban wipes that received sector-wide support. Head of policy at Water UK Stuart Colville – also speaking at the conference – explained there remains a significant amount of work to be done around wipes. He pointed to discussions about the make-up of wipes, including proportions of plastics, the style of weave and components, to highlight the complexity of introducing a ban.
From the perspective of a water and sewerage company, Rob Buston, misconnections team manager at Southern, expressed frustration that customer conversation around flushables has not moved on and teams on the ground continue to face the same conversations. He advocated for the change in labelling to be accompanied with an education campaign: “Let’s throw everything at it!”