We waste .. waste.
One of our major outputs daily, personally, is, in fact, a significant resource.
Yet we as a “civilised” society have chosen to contaminate our environment with it, and add worse to the effluent causing serious damage and destruction to our ecosystems.
Spills of raw sewage into England’s rivers and seas are worst on record
Water companies released raw sewage into England’s rivers and coasts for a record 3.6 million hours last year, new Environment Agency data has confirmed. It comes amid public anger and a growing political row over water pollution.
Sewage spills from storm overflows up 54% in 2023, figures show
Environment Agency said the increase is partly due to rainy year for England.
Crabs on cocaine and shrimps on speed: How raw sewage dumped in UK waters is damaging marine life
Cocaine in seawater could alter a fish’s decision to fight or take flight, marine biologist warns
A marine biologist has revealed raw sewage being dumped in the English Channel has left every marine species in the water “full of cocaine, amphetamines and MDMA”. Traces of the drug routinely make their way into Britain’s waters after passing through users’ bodies, and could be altering the natural behaviour of some fish including whether they fight or take flight from danger.
Ban on wet wipes imminent
Scottish government : Ban on wet wipes containing plastic moves closer
Progress towards protecting Scottish waters.
Wet wipes containing plastic could be banned as part of proposals to tackle plastic and microplastic pollution.
The consultation, which is being undertaken by all four UK nations, seeks views on a proposed ban on the manufacture, supply and sale of plastic-containing wet wipes across the UK.
Wet wipes containing plastic break down into microplastics over time, which can be harmful to the environment and human health. Banning these products would help alleviate this issue, as well as reducing the volume of microplastics entering wastewater treatment plants when wrongly flushed.
Over a 11 billion wet wipes are used every year in the UK. The plastic means that wet wipes don’t break down and clog our pipes and damages our oceans and rivers.
Wet wipes containing plastic could be banned as part of proposals to tackle plastic and microplastic pollution.
The consultation, which is being undertaken by all four UK nations, seeks views on a proposed ban on the manufacture, supply and sale of plastic-containing wet wipes across the UK.
Wet wipes containing plastic break down into microplastics over time, which can be harmful to the environment and human health. Banning these products would help alleviate this issue, as well as reducing the volume of microplastics entering wastewater treatment plants when wrongly flushed.
Over a 11 billion wet wipes are used every year in the UK. The plastic means that wet wipes don’t break down and clog our pipes and damages our oceans and rivers.
- The plastic in wet wipes breaks down into microplastics, which can be ingested by marine and riverine animals, including zooplankton, and are entering into our food chain and water supply.
- 100 million marine animals die each year from plastic waste alone, from birds to fish to other marine organisms. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by plastics.
- Wet wipes are behind 93% of blockages in UK sewers and are even changing the shape of our rivers as they pile up on beds and banks.
