Wet wipes containing plastic to be banned in Scotland

Action to protect the environment and marine waters.

The sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic in Scotland will be banned from 11 August 2027 under regulations published today.

Wet wipes containing plastic are a common and persistent source of marine litter and can break down into microplastics over time, harming the natural environment.

The move is part of wider action to protect Scotland's environment and marine waters and includes a transition period for businesses to help them prepare.

The measures will include exemptions for medical and industrial uses as well as business-to-business sales. Members of the public who require specific wet wipes containing plastic for medical or healthcare reasons will also be able to request these from a pharmacy.

A ban will be introduced in all four nations of the UK following a UK-wide consultation in 2023, which found overwhelming public support for the proposals, with over 93% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing to the move.

Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin said: “Wet wipes containing plastic are an unnecessary single-use item, for which more environmentally friendly alternatives already exist. 

“As with all single-use items, it is vital they are disposed of correctly, otherwise they become a problematic source of marine litter and a threat to the health of our environment and wildlife.

“This ban delivers on an important commitment made in our Marine Litter Strategy and builds on previous actions to ban unnecessary single-use plastic items such as plastic-stemmed cotton buds, plastic straws, cutlery and single use vapes.

“These policies are all proof of the progress we are making towards protecting our environment and creating a more circular economy. In addition, we will continue to call on the UK Government to address issues such as misleading claims on product packaging which can lead to incorrect disposal of items such as wet wipes.”

Scottish Water Chief Executive, Alex Plant, said: “This ban will help us tackle one of the biggest challenges we face - responding to and clearing around 35,000 blockages every year in our sewers, at a cost of about £10 million, largely due to wet wipes wrongly flushed down toilets.

“Scottish Water's Nature Calls campaign has led the way in making the case for a ban - and encourages everyone to bin wet wipes and stick to the 3Ps - flushing only pee, poo and toilet paper. 

"We are also calling on the UK Government for mandatory responsible 'do not flush' labelling for all bathroom products that risk being wrongly disposed of to sewers, and an end to misleading environmental claims on packaging to reduce customer confusion and reinforce the correct disposal option. This issue is reserved and the critical next step to reduce blockages further and prevent environmental harm.”

Background

View the legislation for the banning of wet wipes containing plastic

The regulations use powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Wet wipes will be banned in Wales from 18 December 2026, Northern Ireland from 18 May 2027, and England from the 19 May 2027. The different enforcement dates reflect the introduction dates for each piece of legislation.

All four nations are introducing bans of the same scope, intent, definitions and transition period ahead of enforcement dates.  All nations have kept in as close alignment of dates as possible given each separate Parliamentary timetable.

DEFRA Beach Litter Monitoring Data found that between 2015 to 2020, an average of 20 wet wipes were found per 100 meters of beach surveyed across the UK.

Scottish Water's Nature Calls campaign, launched in February 2022, called for an effective ban on wipes containing plastic, an end to misleading “flushable” labelling and a national behaviour change to encourage people to bin wipes and follow the 3Ps rule – only flush pee, poo and (toilet) paper.

The campaign secured over 3,000 public supporters, strong backing from environmental organisations including the Marine Conservation Society, Keep Scotland Beautiful and Zero Waste Scotland, and contributed directly to widespread political momentum behind the ban.