Wet wipes are the scourge of the planet

The Sunday Mail has today launched a campaign to ban the sale of toxic plastic wet wipes.

A shocking 90 per cent of the one billion wipes sold in Scotland contain plastics which can take over 100 years to break down.

They are among the most commonly found items polluting our rivers and beaches, with putrid mounds building up at beauty spots around the country.

They destroy the natural habitat of birds, fish and other animals, and create disgusting eyesores at the seaside for all of us.

And the problem doesn’t stop when they do eventually disintegrate, because wet wipes go on to form microplastics that can enter the animal and human food chain, ending up lodged in our vital organs.

Of course we all know how convenient these things are, and if there was no obvious alternatives you might think twice about a ban. But there are perfectly good non-plastic wet wipes on the market carrying the water industry standard Fine to Flush logo.

They can be discarded down the toilet guilt free where they will break down in the normal way. Scottish Water want a ban because they are being forced to spend millions cleaning wipes from drains and sewers – a cost ultimately passed on in bills. The Marine Conservation Society wants a ban because of the unnecessary destruction to the marine environment.

Politicians of all stripes appear to be in agreement that there are no downsides.

So as Sir David Attenborough’s Bafta and Emmy award-winning cameraman Doug Allan points out, it really is a no brainer for the First Minister to get this done. There are concerns the UK Internal Market Act, introduced after Brexit to ensure a level commercial playing field in Britain, could present a barrier to a ban in Scotland.

But the SNP and Conservatives both support the policy, so the obvious solution is to take action on both sides of the border.

We can all play our part from today by buying Fine to Flush wipes, and making sure we don’t put the others down the loo.

But it’s now time to wipe out the plastic wipes altogether.