Contribution
My Lords, I thank the Minister for her clear introduction to this SI. I join the noble Baronesses, Lady Redfern and Lady Coffey, in expressing disappointment about the slow pace at which this measure is being brought in; of course, Wales is ahead of us. I also join them in welcoming what is, I am afraid, a modest step forward.
It is worth noting that, as the noble Baroness, Lady Coffey, said, this is what the previous Government were planning to do anyway. It is disappointing that this new Government are not going any further. We had a Government who came in promising change and environmental measures; we might have expected to be going further than this statutory instrument is going now. We have to think about where we are now. We are all aware of the island that appeared on Google Earth and was, significantly, the result of wet wipes. I have seen different figures but at least two-thirds—perhaps more—of the wet wipes being sold now do not contain plastic. This is not going to solve the sewage problem; that is terribly clear.
What does that sewage problem mean? It is not just about things that happen in London and get lots of coverage. In September, the BBC reported that Northumbrian Water was finding under its coverage areas that were severely affected by sewer flooding. Effluent was being pushed back up through sinks, showers and toilets. One of the staff members dealing with the people affected spoke about how this really impacted on people’s lives and well-being. Wet wipes are a serious problem—not just a financial problem or an environmental problem but a problem in people’s lives.
The noble Baroness, Lady Redfern, referred to the fact that terms such as “biodegradable” and “compostable” are used inappropriately by manufacturers. If you look at the packaging, you see “99% water”, “plant-based” or a lovely symbol of two hands cradling the earth. That may not be illegal, but we have to ask: how do we get the packaging right so that people understand that they should never go in the toilet? I note that, here in your Lordships’ House—at least in some of the facilities I have been in—there are clear labels saying, “This is a problem, please don’t do it”. If the message is not getting through in the Houses of Parliament, it is perhaps not surprising that it is not getting through in the rest of the country. There is real concern that, as this statutory instrument comes into effect and people hear, “Oh, it’s all right. Isn’t it good that they’ve banned plastic?”, people are more likely to feel that they are able to flush these items.
What do you need to biodegrade one of these products? It works best in temperatures of about 30 degrees Celsius; I think I can safely say that we do not have a lot of sewers at 30 degrees Celsius. A 2023 paper by scientists from Cardiff University concluded that most flushed, so-called biodegradable, wipes do not really degrade. Most of them are made from cotton-based or wood-based cellulose fibres. There is a further problem here in that, when they are put into water, it changes the balance of nutrients, takes oxygen out of the water and increases the risk of fish suffocating. These wipes are a problem in so many different ways.
Can the Minister say what further measures the Government are considering? I know that there is a three-year review under this SI, but that is three years more of the kind of damage and human and environmental suffering that I have been talking about. On the figures, I am looking now at a graph of the expected sale of wet wipes from 2024 to 2032. It is a steep upward curve. Are the Government considering whether we really need all those wet wipes? Perhaps parents have become used to using wet wipes—we can all feel sympathy for new parents and the challenges they face—but what about make-up wet wipes or household cleaning wet wipes? Are these things that we really need to be selling in the UK? Are the Government considering further action sooner than in three years’ time? The Minister referred to the extended producer responsibility scheme; surely we could include all wet wipes in that now.
I have a specific question. I note that the impact assessment refers to plastic using the UK REACH definition, but the Marine Conservation Society has a specific question about whether lyocell and viscose are recognised as a form of plastic under that definition. The Marine Conservation Society says very clearly that they should be recognised as such because that is how they behave.