No 'flushable' wet wipes tested so far pass water industry tests.

All wet wipes sold as "flushable" in the UK have so far failed the water industry's disintegration tests. Water companies say wet wipes don't break down and are causing blockages which cost millions to put right. Manufacturers insist their test is adequate and say sewer blockages are caused by people putting non-flushable wipes down the toilet. Wet wipes are sold for everything from makeup removal to surface cleaning. Most importantly when it comes to flushability, they're available as moist toilet tissue. The government has said it is working with manufacturers and water companies to develop a product that does not contain plastic and can be safely flushed.

Wet wipes will flush - in that they will disappear down the U-bend of your toilet. The problem is what happens to them next. Wet wipes are behind up to 80% of blockages in UK sewers, a key element of the infamous giant obstacles known as fatbergs, according to water companies. They say it costs £100m a year to deal with them. Skips full of wipes are caught by the filters at water treatment works and end up in the landfill. From their treatment sites across the North West, United Utilities collect around 12,000 tonnes of wipes and other rubbish every year.

Deadly consequences

Meanwhile, wipes which escape the filters have an even greater environmental impact, ending up in rivers and on beaches. The wipes contain tiny plastic fibers which go on to harm fish and other marine life as the fibers are released and ingested, sometimes with deadly consequences. In addition, the plastic fibers might then go on to be consumed by other animals potentially entering the human food chain.

Last year, the government asked the manufacturers and water companies to agree to a flushable standard. But these efforts have failed, leaving the water companies to insist that only three 'Ps' should go down the toilet: pee, poo, and paper.