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Tesco becomes first UK supermarket to ban wet wipes containing plastic
‘There is no need for wet wipes to contain plastic so from now on we will no longer stock them if they do’
Tesco is set to become the first UK supermarket to ban the sale of wet wipes and baby wipes containing plastic.
The supermarket chain announced that it will stop selling branded wipes containing plastic from brands such as Pampers and Huggies from March 14th, stating there is ‘no need for wet wipes to contain plastic’.
Its cleaning wipes and lavatory wipes will also become plastic-free from next month.
Tesco is currently the UK’s biggest supplier of wet wipes, with sales of seventy-five million packs a year, or more than 200,000 a day, according to The Times.
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While Tesco’s own-brand wipes are already plastic-free and contain a plant-based viscose that breaks down quicker in a landfill, many other wipes are woven with plastic fibres to make them stronger, making them impossible to recycle.
Because of this, these wipes eventually block up sewers and waterways, and are often found washed up on beaches and riverbeds, which can be incredibly harmful to wildlife and the environment.
Read More: Plastic knives, forks, and plates could soon join plastic straws in being banned in England
Sarah Bradbury, Tesco’s group quality director, said: “We have worked hard to remove plastic from our wipes as we know how long they take to break down.
“There is no need for wet wipes to contain plastic so from now on we will no longer stock them if they do.”
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Though not all of Tesco’s recent changes have been welcomed so warmly; this week, the price of their famed £3 meal deal has risen to £3.50.
The supermarket confirmed the price rise last week, though pointed out that its Clubcard holders will still be able to get the staple lunch time combination for its original price.
Tesco chief customer officer Alessandra Bellini said: “Adding our ever-popular lunchtime meal deal to Clubcard Prices is the latest way we’re rewarding our 20 million Clubcard members with exclusive deals on thousands of products.
“Clubcard Prices have already given millions of customers the power to lower the cost of their weekly shop – and all while earning points for money off their shopping or rewards like family days out at Alton Towers or a Disney+ subscription.”