Cross-party support for London Labor MP’s bill to ban plastics in wet wipes
The products clog the capital’s sewers and damage the Thames
London MPs from three different political parties are backing efforts to ban the use of plastic in the manufacture of wet wipes, preventing their biodegradation and causing them to clog sewers and pollute the Thames.
Both Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney and Conservative Andrew Rosindell today reaffirmed their support for Fleur Anderson of Labor, who introduced a ten-minute law on the issue in the House of Commons.
Romford MP Rosindell said he fully supports what Anderson is trying to do and described “the principle she is fighting for” as “perfectly right”. He urged the government to “be clear about this”. [problem] because it causes so much damage to the environment ”.
Olney, who represents Richmond Park, said of the problem, “I don’t know why the government is not taking action,” which causes large clumps of wet wipes, often tangled with other things, to pile up in piles on the edge of the water . She stressed that plastic-free wet wipes are “but not widely available, making it difficult for consumers to choose”. A ban would save people from making that decision, she argued.
In a film report from the banks of the Thames in Battersea, Anderson, the MP for Putney, showed a rope encrusted with wet wipes that spills into the river when the sewers overflow and discharges millions of tons of sewage into its waters every year. The film also reported that 30 tons of wet wipes pass through the system to the Beckton sewage treatment plant every year.
Anderson said the river bed was “covered with them” and harming wildlife. They called on the manufacturers to no longer describe wet wipes made of plastic as rinsable.
It is unusual for a ten minute rule bill, a form of law on private MPs, to complete the passage into law as the government usually rejects it in the later stages of its parliamentary session. However, they can be effective in raising awareness of their cause.
Image from Politics London. Watch the report and discussion on BBC iPlayer from 22 minutes (available for 29 days).
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