Scottish Water backs campaign to clean wet wipes off Scots shelves

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Scottish Water has called on supermarkets to stop selling plastic wet wipes that go on to pollute beaches and rivers for more than 100 years.

The Sunday Mail last week teamed up with the utilities giant and environmental campaigners to launch a campaign demanding a ban on the toxic cloths.

One billion wipes are flushed down our toilets every year – and about 90 per cent contain plastics that clog beauty spots, block drains and create dreaded sewer "fatbergs".All major supermarkets continue to stock polluting brands – despite biodegradable "Fine to Flush" products being widely available.Our campaign to end their sale has been backed by activists including Sir David Attenborough's Bafta and Emmy award-winning cameraman Doug Allan.Brian Lironi, Scottish Water's director of corporate affairs, said: "We warmly welcome the action taken by some supermarkets to stock wipes that have achieved Fine to Flush accreditation but unfortunately there are many more packs on the shelves that still contain plastic."There are also some packs that claim to be 'flushable' but in fact contain plastic and will block sewers and pollute our rivers and beaches."We strongly encourage supermarkets to remove wipes that contain plastic from their stores and make it easier for theircustomers to choose products that won't harm wildlife and the natural environment".Diver Grant Pollock, of Glasgow's Eastwood Divers club, has told of the shocking underwater destruction caused by wet wipes.He said: "You see thousands of these things on beaches all the time, which is heartbreaking."But what most people don't see is the horrible mess they are making under the water as well."We see loads of them coming out of sewer overflow pipes on sea lochs around Scotland.