First of all, I must say that I am delighted to have been asked to write a piece for Nursery World. I work very closely with my local nurseries and daycare centres in Putney, Southfields and Roehampton, and I have led an Early Years Debate in Parliament and will continue to champion the importance of the early years sector. I have been so impressed by how you have risen to the challenge of the pandemic. It has been such a difficult period and I am grateful that you continue to care for and educate our children in the most difficult circumstances.
Since being elected as an MP in 2019, contributing to cleaning up our environment and tackling climate change has been a priority. I joined the Environment Bill Committee and we proposed over 200 amendments to the Bill. The Government refused all of them. I started to think about what else I could do and it was my experiences as a mother that provided the answer.
As a mother of four children, I understand how challenging it can be to make the right environmental choices for your family. I used wet wipes myself and I had no idea that many of them contained plastic. In fact, we use a staggering 11 billion wet wipes every year in the UK and 90 per cent of them contain plastic. That plastic is causing untold damage to our water systems and our marine environments, and it is long past time something is done about it. Wet wipes are even changing the shape of our rivers and coastlines when they pile up on beds and banks.
My ‘Ban plastic in Wet Wipes’ 10-Minute Rule Bill had its first reading on 2 November, and I was blown away by the amount of coverage and cross-party support the campaign has received.
This seems to be the Bill that no-one disagrees with. I am delighted to also have support from organisations such as the Marine Conservation Society and the WWF.
I am not proposing that we ban wet wipes altogether. I know how useful they are to parents and to people working hard in early years settings. It is also clear to me that wet wipes used by professionals, like those working in early years, are far more likely to be disposed of properly. I just want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to buy environmentally friendly products.
Let’s ban plastic in wet wipes once and for all. For now, I would also encourage everyone to buy plastic-free wet wipes with a ‘fine to flush’ accreditation and to always put your wet wipes in the bin.