There are many aspects of our day to day life that we can change to move towards a more sustainable lifestyle. So lets talk about wet wipes.
The UK alone uses 11 billion wet wipes each year. They not only cause 93% of UK sewer blockages but as wet wipes are usually made up of synthetic material such as plastic or polyester, they are not biodegradable or flushable. This unfortunately means they end up in landfill or the environment and will take over 100 years for them to break down and degrade. In 2018, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) recorded an average of 12 wipes per 100m of coastline, and I have experienced first-hand the pollution caused by wet wipes in our rivers. When volunteering on waterway clean-ups, I would spend much of my time untangling and picking out wet wipes from the riverbanks, even when walking my dogs in my local woodland I often come across disregarded wet wipes.
Wet wipes - among other rubbish - entangled in vegetation at my local river
In 2018 the UK government said it would consider the phasing out of plastic-based wet wipes along with Prime Minister Theresa May’s pledge to eradicate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. But why wait for the government to act when you can start making changes to reduce your plastic waste. Here are some alternatives to synthetic-based wet wipes.
Re-usable make-up removal pads
Investing in reusable make-up wipes are a great place to start, as once you’ve bought them you can wash and reuse for ever! They not only reduce your waste; they are easy to store as the take up less room than a pack of wet wipes and will save you money in the long term. You can buy them from stores such as Boots and Superdrug (from £2.99-£13 depending on how many you wish to buy) or alternatively make your own! All you need is some cotton or some soft towelling material (I have added a link at the bottom to a page that shows you have to make your own in a few easy steps!)
Home made reusable make up removal pads
Biodegradable wet wipes
Sometimes using reusable products aren’t always appropriate (such as flannels or clothes for cleaning/wiping). In these cases, consider buying wet wipes that are biodegradable and made from natural, not synthetic materials. I use ‘The Cheeky Panda’ which is a brand that produced a variety of wipes and tissues made from bamboo and are completely plastic free and biodegradable. Having been voted product of the year in 2020, their wet wipes are hypoallergenic, fragrance free, vegan and cruelty free (not tested on animals). They offer a number of household, baby, travel and beauty products (I use their baby wipes as multi-purpose wipes). Their packaging in 100% recyclable and the brand in part of the World Land Trust meaning part of their profits are donated to protect rainforest and maintain carbon neutral production. The Cheek Panda are available online or in Boots stores (£2.99 for a pack of 64 baby wipes) although there are other brands out there that are biodegradable if you are willing to read the labels and find them!
My The Cheeky Panda wet wipes
To conclude, using reusable alternatives to wet wipes will reduce your waste and is the most sustainable choice. However, when this isn’t an option, opting for biodegradable brands of wet wipes is one way you can move to a more sustainable lifestyle and cut out the amount of single-use plastic you use.
Link to making your own reusable make-up removal pads:
Sources:
Metro - https://metro.co.uk/2019/06/14/call-to-ditch-the-11000000000-polluting-wet-wipes-we-use-each-year-9927757/