The U.K. has officially signed into law a ban on the sale of plastic wet wipes, following overwhelming public support with 95% of respondents to government survey agreeing with the proposals.

The move comes as wet wipes containing plastic are being seen as a growing source of pollution, with a recent survey showing an average of 20 wet wipes littering every 100 meters of beach across the UK. When flushed, they can break down into microplastics that poison wildlife and enter the food chain. 

“This ban will put an end to plastic wet wipes which choke our sewers, litter our beaches and poison wildlife,” says Environment Secretary Emmay Reynolds. “It’s another example of the government taking strong, decisive action to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. 

Plastic-free wet wipes are readily available and several retailers have already stopped selling wet wipes containing plastic. England-based businesses will have until Spring 2027 to transition to the new rules, while the ban is set to begin in Wales, Scotland and North Ireland sometime next year. 

According to the scope of the legislation, U.K. companies will still be able to manufacture and export plastic wet wipes, and they will still be available for people to buy from pharmacies both in person (behind the counter) and online. Businesses like hotels will be allowed to buy the wipes, without restrictions. The medical profession successfully argued for an exemption from the wet wipe ban, arguing that non-plastic wipes absorb too much of the detergents and disinfectants impregnated in them, with potential consequences for patient safety.

The U.K. government announced plans to ban wet wipes containing plastic in 2024 arguing that banning plastic-containing wipes will reduce plastic and microplastic pollution and reduce the volume of microplastics entering wastewater treatment sites when wrongly flushed – meaning beaches and waterways will benefit from the ban.

Even before this announcement, several U.K. retailers including Boots, Aldi and Tesco had decided to remove plastic from their store branded wet wipes.

“Boots was proud to be one of the first retailers to remove all wipes containing plastic from sale in stores and online in 2023 as part of our long-standing commitment with suppliers and customers to reduce the use of plastics,” says Steve Ager, chief customer and commercial officer.