UK bans wet wipes containing plastics, but NZ won’t, government says

Source: Radio New Zealand

The NZ government says it is not considering a ban on wet wipes containing plastic, despite recognising concern over the environmental and infrastructure impacts they cause.

The United Kingdom has announced England will ban the sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic, a huge cause of pollution and sewer blockages, with the changes coming into force in early 2027.

The announcement comes as public concern about the state of the UK’s waterways and sewage grows.

In New Zealand, flushed wet wipes cause expensive headaches for councils across the country.

Despite this, Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds said the government was not considering a ban.

“We recognise the concern about the environmental and infrastructure impacts caused by wet wipes, but our approach is to focus on practical, evidence-based solutions, rather than blanket bans,” she said.

“Wet wipes are part of the broader issue of plastic waste entering the environment, and there is still work to do in addressing blockages and microplastic release.”

Simmonds said some manufacturers were already working to reduce or remove plastic from their products, “which will help limit the release of microplastics into the environment”.

She also pointed to the Australia New Zealand Flushable Products Standard (ANZ standard), developed by industry in 2022, which set out criteria for determining if products were suitable for flushing down a toilet.

The standard provided guidance and requirements for labelling products likely to be flushed, Simmonds said.

“The government’s priority is to ensure any changes are well-considered, manageable, and do not impose unnecessary costs on businesses or households, while still protecting New Zealand’s environment.”

In 2021, the previous Labour-led government said it expected more work on how to phase out certain types of plastics, including wet wipes.

Labour did not answer RNZ’s questions about how far these investigations progressed, before the government changed in 2023, but environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking acknowledged wet wipes were causing issues.

“Disposal of wet wipes into sewerage systems is a problem here in New Zealand – and it’s certainly something we’re open to working constructively with the government on addressing.

“It’s clear work needs to be done on public education to not flush wet wipes.”

Water New Zealand – the country’s largest water industry body – said it would support a ban.

Chief executive Gillian Blythe said wet wipes containing plastic were “a major problem” for water utilities.

“They are extremely damaging to sewers and to the environment, because they clog the sewers, causing effluent overflow into the environment. As well as a problem for the environment, blockages caused by wipes are a multimillion-dollar cost to ratepayers, as councils and utilities have to invest a lot of time and money unblocking pipes.

“Several years ago, it was estimated that the cost of damage caused by wet wipes amounted to $16 million a year, but we believe it is now likely to be more, as costs have escalated.”

Wipes often mixed with other non-flushables in pipes – such as fats, oils and grease – to form ‘fatbergs’.

“We urge people to only flush the three Ps – pee, poo, [toilet] paper,” Blythe said.

“However, there are now some wipes on the market that do meet the Australian and New Zealand flushability standard. We would urge anyone who feels they need to buy wipes to check the label – look for the logo and check the standard AUS/NZS 5328:2022 on the packaging.”

Blythe said the problem would escalate, because the “multi-billion-dollar” international wipes industry was growing.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand