Spain wants to ban people from flushing wet wipes and make manufacturers pay for the clean up

By Euronews Green

Published on 30/05/2025 - 15:59 GMT+2

Spain is group to prohibition group from throwing bedewed wipes down nan toilet and deliberately releasing disposable balloons, successful a bid to protect its rivers and seas from integrative pollution.

The rule being prepared by nan authorities will make bedewed swipe manufacturers screen nan costs of cleaning up their products from nan country’s clogged sewers and water-treatment plants.

Released this week, nan draught decree is aimed astatine ensuring Spain meets nan UN’s Sustainable Development Goals concerning responsible depletion and production, and conserving nan ocean.

Wet wipes and balloons are nan 5th and ninth astir commonly recovered single-use integrative items connected European beaches, according to an EU directive referenced by nan Spanish government. It besides reiterates that marine litter “has a transboundary characteristic successful quality and is considered a increasing world problem.”

Why are bedewed wipes bad for nan environment?

Marketed arsenic a family convenience, bedewed wipes are thing but successful nan wider world. 

“Wet wipes - moreover those made pinch earthy polymers that haven’t been chemically modified - person a antagonistic biology effect and importantly impact nan functioning of nan sewer and purification networks,” Spain’s authorities says.

“Because they do not disintegrate completely, they origin obstructions successful nan sewer strategy that trim its h2o retention capacity and summation nan consequence of overflows - particularly during spells of dense rain.”

That builds up a hefty measure for authorities. The yearly costs of clearing bedewed wipes from sewer and purification systems is astir €230 million, according to figures from nan Spanish Association of Water Supply and Sanitation.

And nan biology costs is huge, arsenic moreover biodegradable wipes person been shown to instrumentality astir for years. Alongside cluttering our waterways, nan fibres and microfibres from these wipes tin termination animals which mistakenly ingest them. 

The fibres sorb harmful chemicals from wastewater, UK kindness Final Straw Foundation warns, acting for illustration toxic sponges successful aquatic ecosystems.

How will Spain’s prohibition connected flushing bedewed wipes work?

Spain is looking to transportation nan costs of cleaning up this integrative contamination to producers. 

The country’s caller rule would mean bedewed swipe manufacturers person to screen nan costs of cleaning up their products, “including cleaning of sanitation and curen infrastructure, arsenic good arsenic its consequent carrier and treatment”. 

The companies will besides beryllium obliged to screen nan costs of “awareness-raising measures” - pinch nan authorities stressing that nationalist acquisition is simply a important portion of nan solution.

Although genuinely biodegradable wipes will beryllium exempt from nan prohibition connected flushing bedewed wipes down nan toilet, Spain’s situation ministry is urging group not to propulsion immoderate kinds of bedewed wipes down nan loo.

It remains to beryllium seen really nan user portion of nan authorities will activity successful practice.