Manufacturers of wet wipes should soon be forced to contribute financially towards cleaning up England’s polluted waterways, according to recommendations made in a landmark government review led by Sir Jon Cunliffe.
Sir Jon, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, has proposed that companies responsible for environmental pollution, including those producing wet wipes that release microplastics, should be charged under the “polluter pays” principle.
The alternative, he noted, would be for water bill payers to shoulder the cost.
The review, which has prompted the government to announce sweeping changes including the abolition of water regulator Ofwat, outlines a roadmap to tackle sewage and other pollutants in rivers and seas. A new “super-regulator” will be introduced to hold water companies to greater account.
Campaigners have welcomed several of the review’s recommendations, particularly the proposal to end the current system of self-monitoring by water companies. Under new plans, sewage spills would be published automatically online to provide real-time data to the public.
However, some critics say the review doesn’t go far enough. Environment Secretary Steve Reed had excluded nationalisation and not-for-profit models from the review’s scope—despite mounting public frustration over the mismanagement and pollution caused by private water companies.
The wet wipes industry is already under growing pressure. John Penicud, Managing Director of Wastewater at Southern Water, recently stated that “the majority of wastewater pollutions are caused by wet wipes, fats, oils, and grease being flushed down toilets and sinks,” and called for an outright ban on wet wipes containing plastic.
Cunliffe’s review echoes a model currently being considered by the European Union, which would see producers of harmful chemicals such as PFAS (“forever chemicals”) cover up to 80% of the costs associated with upgrading sewage treatment infrastructure.
The EU is also introducing quaternary treatment—a fourth, advanced level of sewage treatment that uses powerful filters to remove micropollutants from water.
