Now wet wipes WILL get \'do not flush\' label: Manufacturers agree to warnings on products in bid to stop blockages
The manufacturer of wet wipes agrees to re-manufacture the wet wipes to yield to pressure
Label the products and warn against flushing them off the toilet.
Wet wipes can cause blockages-they produce \"fat\" when they absorb fat in the sewer-and pollute rivers and seas with tiny plastic fibers.
Their popularity has surged in recent years to cover a variety of uses ranging from cleaning babies, removing cosmetics to wiping furniture and dirty floors.
As the Daily Mail reported last week, the current warning that wipes are not rinsed is not notable-the trade body in the industry says its members will correct it.
Now, major manufacturers will have to reconsider the packaging guidelines and promise to change them within 18 months.
These companies include Unilever, which produces a simple series of beauty wipes, Procter & Gamble, which produces Pampers baby wipes, and Johnson & Johnson, which also produces baby wipes.
Edana, European production
\"We accept that we can do better in this regard . \"
All of these products should have \"no flow\" signs and labels at the extraction point (I . e. around the lid or other opening) rather than on the back of the package.
\"This will cover Africa. Washable wipes
However, there is growing concern about many products that are called \"mobile\" by water companies that say they will not actually break down once they go to the toilet.
Water UK, the UK trade agency, has called on trade standards officials to investigate whether wet wipes claiming to be flushed are mislabeled.
The industry may be keen to avoid consumer discontent, just like devouring tiny grinding plastic balls for cleaning products, which are criticized for polluting the waterways and hurting fish and other marine animals around the world.
Tamara Galloway, professor of ecotoxicology at the University of Exeter, told The Sunday Times: \"We found microplastics in every seawater sample collected, most of them fiber.
The British coast is not the only area.
Scientists around the world are reporting fibers in seawater, fresh water and sediment.
We also found them in the internal organs of fish and turtles and in the tissues of other animals.
However, Edana insists that the \"flowable\" wipes break down when they are disposed.
Edana said: \"Toilet Wipes may look similar for adults, but they are made of cellulose, so they break down quickly in the sewer, and beauty wipes and baby wipes must be stronger, materials such as polyester fiber must also be stronger.
The water company spends about £ 88 million a year cleaning up about 360,000 blockages, half of which are caused by wet wipes.
The UK wet wipes market is estimated to be worth about pounds.
In the United States, wet wipes manufacturers face a series of legal proceedings from several state heads over claims that their products are flush-able, but consumers claim that they have suffered blockages and other damage to their products.