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Masses made of billions of wet wipes change the course of "two tennis court sizes" on the Thames

In the UK, wet wipes containing plastic are used 11 billion times each year

A sewer technician holds a "fatberg" as he works in the intersection of the Regent Street and Victoria sewer in London on December 11, 2014. Wet wipes reportedly make up 90 per cent of "fatbergs."
On December 11, 2014, a sewer engineer working at the intersection of Regent Street and Victoria Sewer in London is holding a "Fatberg". 90% of "Fatberg". Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP / Getty Images

What is a common household product used for surface disinfection? Billion wet wipes. The abandoned ones have reached London, the River Thames in England, and are now diverting.

"There was an island about the size of two tennis courts, and I stood there. It's near the Hammersmith Bridge on the Thames, just over a meter. Wet wipes, "MP Fleur Anderson said at the House of Commons, and the Timesreported. "It actually changed the course of the Thames."

In the UK, 11 billion wet wipes containing plastic are used each year, Andersonsaid in a press release. Is written.

  1. In this photo released Tuesday Jan. 8, 2019, by Britain's South West Water company, showing part of a

    'Don't feed Fatberg': Lots of fat, oil and wipes Block English Sewer
  2. AFP / Getty Images

    How the monster "Fatberg" clogs London's sewers Let's —'This big chunk of lard we've never seen a single'

Wet wipes are flushed down the toilet and clog the sewer Often. They also contribute to "Fatberg" — huge blocks of dust, fat, oil and grease that fuse after being poured into a drain. Items that should not be washed away, such as baby wipes, diapers and cotton balls, will get caught in "Fatberg".

Wet wipes make up 90% of the material contained in "Fatberg", London Economicreported.

In 2019, a 40-ton bus-sized "Fatberg" was wiped out of London's sewers.

"This affects our ecosystem, wildlife, and we must stop it," Anderson said in a video posted on Twitter, calling for a ban on wipes containing plastic. rice field.

It may not be enough to ban the use of wet wipes with plastic,said in a discussion at the House of Commons on ThursdayEnvironment Minister Rebecca Pow. Po said.

"Other wet wipes may seem good to wash off, but they're still clogged in the sewer, so you need to be careful," she said. "If you don't need to use wet wipes, don't use them, and don't use wipes."

The problem was "rebellious," Pow added, due to wipes. Said that the flooding of sewage happened more often.

On Thursday, she said she would suggest some suggestions on how to tackle this issue soon.

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