“An island the size of two tennis courts” .. Waste wet wipes change the course of the River Thames
Tissue waste in England has created a 'wet island' the size of two tennis courts in the Thames, causing the river to change course as it flows through London, according to The Times of London.
Ministers subsequently demanded that people stop using wet wipes, and the government is now considering banning those that contain plastic.
And Labor MP Flor Anderson warned that when these wipes are dumped in drains they do not break down and instead end up in the Thames, England's second longest river.
According to Business Insider.
"There's an island the size of two tennis courts, and I've been on it and I've been standing on it--it's near Hammersmith Bridge in the Thames, and it's a meter or more deep in just wet wipes," Flor Anderson was quoted by The Times.
You have changed the course of the Times.”
Anderson suggested banning the manufacture and sale of wet wipes that contain plastic, as it is unlikely to become law without government support.
Most wipes are made of plastic, which does not degrade when flushed in toilets, according to environmental charity Thames21.
On top of that, these wipes can break down into microplastic particles and harm aquatic life and the Thames ecosystem, the charity said.
The charity is urging the government to ban wet wipes that contain plastic and is calling for regulations to clearly label how wet wipes are disposed of.
Thames21 documented plastic litter that had accumulated on foreshores along the river and found that in just under five years, one pile had grown to a height of 1.4 metres, covering the area of two tennis courts.
Wet wipes with densities of 50 to 200 per square meter (about 540 to 2,150 per square foot) are found in these hotspots.
Last year, volunteers at the charity collected more than 27,000 tissues over two days at a different location next to Battersea Bridge.
Wet wipes also make up nearly 90% of the material in greasy solid waste, which is clumps of solid waste made of grease and fats that can clog sewers.
The newspaper said Rebecca Bow, the environment minister, had asked the public not to flush toilet paper if they used them.
The government will "make some suggestions for what we propose to do very soon," Bao said.
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