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If you chuck wet wipes down the toilet after use, they can wind up littering beaches, blocking sewers and creating microplastic pollution. Read this before you flush!

From wiping down surfaces in the kitchen and cleaning our hands when we're out and about to removing makeup and changing nappies, it seems that there’s a wet wipe for every task. But while they are convenient, they can pose a threat to the environment, particularly if they’re not disposed of properly.

Each year, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) runs the Great British Beach Clean, and disposable wipes are consistently among the most frequently collected items of litter. The problem is particularly bad on Scottish beaches, where wet wipes are the second most common form of beach litter. The environmental impact they have is worse than merely spoiling the view when you're enjoying a day out at the seaside. As many disposable wipes contain plastic, they release microscopic pieces of plastic (known as microplastics) as they break down. These microplastic particles can end up polluting the sea.

So how are wet wipes ending up on our beaches in such large numbers?

Part of the problem with wet wipe pollution is that many wipes are being incorrectly disposed of by flushing them down the loo, says Dr Laura Foster from MCS. ‘You might think, once a wet wipe has been flushed down the loo, that it’ll be filtered out through the sewage system,’ she explains. ‘However, wet wipes still end up on our beaches when sewers overflow after heavy rainfall, for example.’

Wet wipes that have been incorrectly disposed of by flushing also contribute to the formation of fatbergs, the huge plugs of waste, fats and oils that account for around 300,000 sewer blockages each year and which can cause sewer flooding. In fact, flushed wet wipes account for over 90% of the material found in fatbergs, according to data from Water UK. It says that many wet wipes that claim to be flushable, actually aren’t, and is calling for the government to take action to make the labelling of wet wipes clearer and more accurate.

Wet wipes are only flushable if they carry the Fine to Flush logo. This tells you the wipes are plastic-free and have passed tests to check that they will break down in the sewer system. “We’re asking government to mandate the ‘Fine to Flush’ accreditation logo on any product that is marketed as flushable, whilst also labelling products ‘Do not flush’ that cannot pass this rigorous standard,” says Rob Wesley, Head of Policy at Water UK. “Clear labelling will help consumers choose an environmentally friendly product instead of one which clogs up drains and sewers.”

There are now 100 wet wipe products on the market that have passed the Fine to Flush tests and carry the logo - up from just 33 a year ago. These include Andrex moist toilet tissues and own-brand wipes from Aldi, which was the first UK retailer to certify all its flushable own-brand wipes Fine to Flush.

Both Aldi and Tesco have dropped disposable wipes containing plastic from the product lines they stock, although it's worth noting that not all of these are Fine to Flush-certified.

If the wipes you use don’t carry the Fine to Flush logo, don’t flush them, and look for wipes that are Fine to Flush certified to take a stand on single use plastic.

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