UK Environment Secretary Steve Barclay is expected to announce plans to introduce legislation before the summer recess in July after a long-running campaign to ban the products.
The law will make it illegal to sell or supply wet wipes containing plastic in England, with the rest of the UK to follow by the autumn.
Wet wipes eventually break down into microplastics, which harm ecosystems and contribute to water pollution, and discarded wipes increasingly litter Britain's beaches.
Barclay said: “I have been clear that a step change is needed to protect our waterways from pollution.
“The ban builds on actions already taken to protect our waterways by holding water companies accountable, including accelerating investment, imposing environmental fines on water companies and quadrupling the number of inspections of water company sites Is included.,
But Labor said the ban did not go far enough, and committed to "a complete ban on the sale, supply and manufacture of plastic wet wipes".
Shadow Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “Plastic wet wipes clog your sewers, kill wildlife and cause sewage to build up in people's homes.
“The Conservatives have broken their promises to act and are too weak to be supported outright.”
The party also pointed out that the Conservatives first promised to ban We Wipes in 2018 as part of a crackdown on plastic waste.
Monday's proposals follow a consultation which saw overwhelming support for the move.In the previous consultation, in 2021, it was also found that more than 90% of people were in favor of the ban.
Some businesses such as Boots, Aldi and Tesco have already moved to ban plastic-containing v-wipes from their stores.
Steve Egger, chief customer and commercial officer at Boots, said: “We are pleased to see the government taking action now as a ban on all wet wipes containing plastic would have a much bigger impact than if retailers took action alone .
“Protecting the environment and supporting a healthy planet is a collective responsibility of all of us.”
Campaigners welcomed Monday's proposals, but urged the government to go further than banning single items.Jane Martin, chief executive of City to Sea, said: “The government taking definitive action to ban this pollutant is a positive step, but the action should not end there.
“The government must now focus on tackling all single-use plastic products through further bans and mandatory reuse and refill targets.”
Parliament's summer recess begins on July 23 and the legislation is expected to be introduced before then.
However, with elections expected to be held in the autumn, the country will have limited time to pass legislation before the elections.dan/
The law will make it illegal to sell or supply wet wipes containing plastic in England, with the rest of the UK to follow by the autumn.
Wet wipes eventually break down into microplastics, which harm ecosystems and contribute to water pollution, and discarded wipes increasingly litter Britain's beaches.
Barclay said: “I have been clear that a step change is needed to protect our waterways from pollution.
“The ban builds on actions already taken to protect our waterways by holding water companies accountable, including accelerating investment, imposing environmental fines on water companies and quadrupling the number of inspections of water company sites Is included.,
But Labor said the ban did not go far enough, and committed to "a complete ban on the sale, supply and manufacture of plastic wet wipes".
Shadow Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “Plastic wet wipes clog your sewers, kill wildlife and cause sewage to build up in people's homes.
“The Conservatives have broken their promises to act and are too weak to be supported outright.”
The party also pointed out that the Conservatives first promised to ban We Wipes in 2018 as part of a crackdown on plastic waste.
Monday's proposals follow a consultation which saw overwhelming support for the move.In the previous consultation, in 2021, it was also found that more than 90% of people were in favor of the ban.
Some businesses such as Boots, Aldi and Tesco have already moved to ban plastic-containing v-wipes from their stores.
Steve Egger, chief customer and commercial officer at Boots, said: “We are pleased to see the government taking action now as a ban on all wet wipes containing plastic would have a much bigger impact than if retailers took action alone .
“Protecting the environment and supporting a healthy planet is a collective responsibility of all of us.”
Campaigners welcomed Monday's proposals, but urged the government to go further than banning single items.Jane Martin, chief executive of City to Sea, said: “The government taking definitive action to ban this pollutant is a positive step, but the action should not end there.
“The government must now focus on tackling all single-use plastic products through further bans and mandatory reuse and refill targets.”
Parliament's summer recess begins on July 23 and the legislation is expected to be introduced before then.
However, with elections expected to be held in the autumn, the country will have limited time to pass legislation before the elections.dan/
