Over recent years, there has been rising concern that tiny particles known as microplastics are showing up basically everywhere on Earth, from polar ice to soil, drinking water and food. Formed when plastics break down into progressively smaller bits, these particles are being consumed by humans and other creatures, with unknown potential health and ecosystem […]

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The Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act 2023 now come into force making it a criminal offence to supply or offer to supply (including for free) certain single-use plastic products to consumers in Wales.  The purpose of the new law is to reduce the flow of plastic pollution into the environment by prohibiting the […]

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The Defra press release highlights UK-wide consultation launched to ban wet wipes containing plastic Proposed ban will tackle plastic pollution in marine environment and reduce microplastics entering wastewater treatment plants Proposal delivers on the UK Government’s Plan for Water, delivering more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement across the water system A consultation on banning wet wipes […]

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The UK Government, Welsh Government, Scottish Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland are seeking views on a proposed ban on the manufacture, supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic. The proposed ban, subject to consultation outcomes, would be applied by individual countries in the UK and be […]

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Restrictions should be put on bottled water advertising and a 10p tax should be added to shrink-wrapped packs to curb the UK’s 10m bottle-a-day habit, according to campaigners hoping to tackle the plastic pollution crisis. In a policy paper produced by the consultancy Retail Economics, Brita said market sales of bottled water had grown to […]

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Almost half the 25,000 sewer blockages in Yorkshire last year were caused by wet wipes flushed down toilets, Yorkshire Water has said. The company said 11,946 of the 25,976 blockages were caused by wipes which did not break down in sewers. Yorkshire Water warned some wipes contained plastic which caused them to snag in pipes. […]

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Record number of plastic nurdles found on beaches as environmental groups call for tougher laws. A survey has now found a record number on beaches around the world and campaigners want new laws in place to help reduce spillages. Nurdles are tiny pellets of plastic used by industry to produce nearly all of our plastic […]

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