Wet wipes: Do you know they are harmful for the environment?
You must have seen your mom carrying a pouch of wet wipes in her bag on the way to work or while travelling. After all, they come so handy when she wants to clean her hands or face. It is not that humans cannot do without them, just that they are convenient. But what if we tell you that using those wipes are actually harmful for the climate? They poison the world’s oceans. Let us tell you how.
What are wet wipes, actually?
Wet wipes are single-use cleaning tissues or towels which are moistened. Ninety per cent of wet wipes sold are made from artificial materials, such as polyester. The product was invented in the US in 1958, and billions of wet wipes are used around the world every day. We grab a wet wipe to clean our hands, faces, worktops, children, and almost everything else at some point. Infact, we dramatically increased our dependence on wipes during the coronavirus pandemic, to quickly clean our surfaces and our hands and make them germ-free. And after using them, most of the time we flush them down the drain.
Why wet wipes are bad?
Some wet wipes are biodegradable and environment-friendly. However, an overwhelming majority of wet wipes are manufactured with plastic or other materials that are bad for the environment. These plastics turn into microplastics when broken down and do not biodegrade in the environment.
Microplastics can contaminate water and food supplies and can be ingested by fish causing damage to the ecosystems. There have been many instances in the recent past which have highlighted growing concerns over wet wipes. For example, reefs made up of millions of discarded wet wipes formed in the River Thames of London because of extensive use of the product. Seventy five per cent of flounder fish in the Thames had plastics in their stomachs, coming largely from wet wipes, according to a study. These could kill them too!
Not only that, flushed-down wet wipes cause big blockages in sewers as they build up in layers and mounds affecting the sewerage systems. These moistened sheets don’t disappear or dissolve when we drop them down the toilet even if they’re labelled as flushable. They form reefs or fatbergs, waste-matter mass that looks like a rock.
Green alternatives
The best possible course of action would be to dispense with wet wipes altogether. One can also use many reusable alternatives available in the market for all of the purposes served by wet wipes. Organic, biodegradable cotton pads are best for removing makeup, while reusable cloth and eco-friendly surface cleaners are best for home maintenance. When it comes to baby care, using an old-fashioned flannel or baby cloth might not be as convenient as a wet wipe, but it’s a whole lot more environment- friendly.
On the other hand, there are plenty of biodegradable options available in the market. They don’t use any plastic in their composition. Binning instead of flushing is equally important, no matter what the packaging may say. There are simply no products in the market that are suitable for disposal down the drain. Even the most advanced water monitoring facilities can’t handle them.