Wipes are 84% plastic - doesn't tell you on the pack, why not?

[WomenUnited]

Because we are all trying to use less plastic and this is maddening. I know there are a lot of plastic use reduce conversations going on but this fact from War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita really stuck out for me, I had no idea.

This is such a big problem and why aren't companies reducing plastic use? Johnson and Johnson have just rejigged all of their packaging recently and to me the bottle caps they have introduced seem to use loads more plastic than the old style, and they are hard to open and can't be removed to top up with water or re use.

Why aren't legislators forcing honest labelling?

No more wipes in this house.

Do paper towels have plastic in?

Does loo roll?

I got some 100% biodegradable wipes from amazon They seem pretty good.

WomenUnited that is a great answer to the problem, but I'm on a very strict budget at the moment. I will have to go and chat up all the local charity shop managers and ask them to put any that come in by for me.

Carpets, clothes, building materials...all plastic!

Please tell me you can get Yorkshire Gold in loose leaf?!

Can I not compost paper towels then?

What they're plastic
Tea bags too
The wipes thing isn't an issue I tend to only use them to clean parts of the toilet I wouldn't want to use reusable clothes on.
They go straight in the bin though.
Tea bags on the other hand. I love a brew is there nothing else I can give up instead?

It’s really not that uncommon for fabrics to contain plastic polymers (polyester, acrylic, nylon). What did you think synthetic material was made of?

In the case of tea bags, it’s usually the glue that’s plastic rather than the filter material per se (there is a thin layer of plastic on the fabric - it’s used for heat-sealing).

Can i ask what people are using wipes for? Can you not use washcloths and just put them in the wasing machine?

I just ran, whimpering, to the cleaning cupboard to check the Regina Blitz, but it is apparently 100% cellulose. Phew!

@Iwantacookie just buy loose tea and a little tea seive...

Tolleshunt- Yorkshire tea has made a pledge to have no plastic in its teabags by the end of this year and I believe some are already plastic free.

The issue with that, whisky is what to do with them while they're waiting to be washed. I dislike having to get out a pile of manky cloths stinking of mobile and god knows what, and living in a small space it's not helpful to have to find suitable storage. Still, needs must.

Mould, not mobile!

@madeyemoodysmum - but what are the biodegradable wipes made of? Because if they’re PLA-based, then they’ll only biodegrade in an industrial facility (compost heaps don’t get hot enough). Please note that biodegradable is not the same as compostable.

@Tolleshunt you could maybe get a tea infuser for less than a teapot, maybe someone you know has a spare in a drawer they never use (that's how mine got to my kitchen).

@Whisky2014 a vast amount is used for disabled/elderly care. So one pad change might be a pad, a pair of plastic gloves, anything from 2-10 wipes and a plastic bag. 4 times a day, sometimes for 10/20/30 years

I remember having stitches out and they unpacked everything from single use plastic and then threw the scissors/stitch thing away and I was but she said it's cheaper than sterilising?

I could kiss you, EnglishRose. Life is a bit stressful at the mo, and my cuppa has taken on quite a significance as a small amount of comfort in an otherwise usually stressful day.

I would be wary of anything labelled biodegradable or flushable in wipes - they can only generally degrade in industrial composting and most definitely NOT in a plastic bin that goes to landfill. Total brainwashing.
Just don't buy them (unless you need them for genuine medical reasons).

Thanks, Womenunited, that's a good thought, I have seen them. Loose leaf usually tastes a lot more lively, too.

I have one of those little man tea infusers that hangs on the side of the cup going spare! @Tolleshunt

Tolleshunt- totally understand that, I'm not a tea drinker myself but appreciate small moments of comfort and peace in a stressful life and I'd struggle to make changes to them.

Yorkshire tea are switching the type of plastic in their teabags:
www.yorkshiretea.co.uk/brew-news/our-use-of-plastic

It’s PLA-based, so not home compostable (and they’re finding the transition tricky:
www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-46608795 - or at least they were 6m ago).

Oh Unalliterative, that's so kind of you! I'm sure I can get one, and they're probably not that expensive, I should stop moaning about the budget issue!

There are several brands of biodegradable facial wipes. Simple makes one. Boots sells Cheeky Panda biodegradable baby wipes.