DEFRA Publishes Draft Legislation to Ban Wet Wipes Containing Plastic

DEFRA has published draft regulations to prohibit the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic in England.

In a consultation conducted in late 2023, 95% of respondents backed a UK-wide ban on wet wipes containing plastic. Previous estimates of 11 billion wipes placed on the market annually are now believed to understate the scale of the issue, with newer research indicating as many as 30.5 billion wet wipes are sold each year.

The legislation will take effect 18 months after Parliamentary approval. While legally specific to England, the ban is set to apply UK-wide, with equivalent legislation expected to be enacted separately in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Under the proposed framework, the ban would not include manufacturing for export but would make supply to consumers illegal unless exempted. Exemptions are limited to specified medical and industrial use cases where no viable plastic-free alternatives exist.

General consumer supplies of wipes containing plastic would be prohibited and attract a fixed fine of £200 for non-compliance.

Click here for the LetsRecycle article.

For the draft legislation, click here.