Should we ditch wet wipes?
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/happier-planet-creator-network-1.6567994
The vast majority of wet wipes contain microplastic fibres which do not biodegrade in the environment. Despite this, many people still believe it’s safe to flush them down the toilet, resulting in over 300,000 sewer blockages every year. The economic impact this has on the country is huge; it costs the government around £100 million of taxpayers’ money to unclog the drains. What’s more, these blockages can also have an incredibly damaging effect on the natural world. According to research conducted by environmental group Plastic Oceans Foundation, eight million tons of plastic find their way into our oceans per annum. Although the world of science is coming up with new and ever more innovative ways to monitor plastic pollution – including combining forensic science with artificial intelligence – preventing the plastic from entering the ocean would be far preferable to trying to clean it up after the event.