Lanes Group backs marine campaigners on disposable wipe problem

Lanes Group is backing calls by the Marine Conservation Society for people to not flush disposable wipes down the toilet.

The society’s plea came as it published figures which showed the number of disposable wipes found in rubbish on Britain’s beaches has increased by 50% in the last year.

Rubbish on UK coasts rose by 6.4% from 2013 to 2014, it said in a report giving results of the society’s annual Great British Beach Clean.

An average of 35 wet wipes were found for every kilometre of beach cleaned in 2014, up from 23 per kilometre the previous year.

The society said the results reflected the growing problem caused by disposable wipes – including general cleaning wipes, baby wipes, toilet wipes and make-up wipes – being flushed down toilets rather than being put in waste bins.

People either do not realise, or ignore the fact, that the wipes do not biodegrade, because they contain plastic to give them additional strength.

Big problem

Lanes Group is constantly battling with this problem, as many sewer blockage problems are caused by wipes building up in drains.

They combine with another scourge of sewers – fats wrongly poured down sinks and drains by householders and restaurants – to create a congealed mass called a rag ball that can block the largest sewers.

In one recent case, Lanes Group engineers cleared several of these giant rag balls from a main sewer in SE England, close to London.

Lanes Business Development Director Richard Leigh said: “There is no doubt that the increasing use of wet wipes and the irresponsible disposal of them down toilets is a major challenge for water companies.

“We are working with a number of utility companies to tackle this issue by providing effective maintenance programmes to keep sewers running freely.

“The problem is that rag ball blockages can cause localised floods of sewage waste, especially during periods of heavy rainfall.

“This allows dirty water, containing more wipes to get into the natural water courses, which eventually reaches the sea, depositing wipes on beaches.”

Greater costs

Water UK, which represents water and wastewater service providers, said only three things should be put down the toilet – poo, pee, and paper.

It quoted research from United Utilities in the North West that showed one in 10 households had suffered blocked toilets and drains due to disposable wipes and other non-flushables going down the pan.

Richard Leigh said: “Problems like rag balls results in us having to invest in ever more.”

Bin it, don’t block it

Not all the wipes found on beaches will have escaped from the mains sewer systems.

Richard Leigh explained “Utility companies work very hard at ensuring sewage waste does not escape into the wider environment.

“Some wipes found on beaches will have been left there by visitors. Or they will have been disposed of irresponsibly locally. It is important that all people who use wet wipes dispose of them responsibly.

“At Lanes Group, we say Bin It, Don’t Block It. That way, we can be sure our drains get blocked far less often, and our beaches don’t get covered in nasty litter.”

 

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