An Irish MEP is calling for baby wipes and wet wipe type products to come with a warning.
Deirdre Clune feels that these products warrant a mandatory warning because of their detrimental effects on the environment.
She also expressed concern that many of these wipes are being disposed of in an incorrect manner, such as flushing.
Baby wipes have been found to be a major cause of blockages and environmental groups have said that they have come across a plethora of wet wipes on the Irish coastline.
I have to be honest and say that I’ve been lured in by ‘flushable’ wipes in the past when I was potty training my son. According to Clune though, even if the packaging says that the wipes are flushable they still cause irrevocable damage to the environment.
Instead of buying these wipes I’ve switched to using washable cloths while I’m at home and biodegradable wipes for when I’m out and about.
One thing I think would help more parents switch to biodegradable wipes is a reduction in price. Currently you can get brand name wipes for less than a euro while biodegradable wipes can cost anywhere from €3-€5 per pack.
When you’re a family on a budget that can become costly very quickly. One way that this price reduction could come in faster would be if all stores and companies switched their wipes to being biodegradable.
According to The Journal the government has said that it had ‘no plans for an outright ban on wet wipes but the European Commission has listed the products among the single-use plastics that will come under specific rules.’
Clune still holds firm that additional warnings need to be provided so that parents know the full impact of the products that they are choosing.
