The Spanish government is preparing a law that will oblige wet wipe manufacturers to cover the costs of cleaning huge wads of their product from the country’s clogged-up sewers and water-treatment plants.
According to the law’s outline, wet wipes and balloons are among the 10 single-use plastic items most commonly found on beaches in the EU.
“Wet wipes – even those made with natural polymers that haven’t been chemically modified – have a negative environmental impact and significantly affect the functioning of the sewer and purification networks,” the legislation says.
The draft notes that microfibres from wet wipes also end up in rivers and other bodies of water, leaving local authorities with hefty cleanup bills and environmental fines.
Figures from the Spanish Association of Water Supply and Sanitation put the annual cost of clearing wet wipes from sewer and purification systems at €230m (£190m).
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