Volunteers participating in a Thames21 citizen science project recently counted 733 wet wipes across 50 sampling squares on a 250-metre stretch of the River Thames foreshore under Hammersmith Bridge. This figure represents a substantial decrease from the 1,584 wipes found in the same locations in April.
The environmental charity Thames21 organises these counts to map the amount of flushed wet wipes accumulating along the riverbanks. Dr Felicity Rhodes, programme manager at Thames21, stated that the data generated provides an understanding of wet wipes on the foreshore.
The reduction in the count follows the opening of the £4.6bn Thames Tideway Tunnel last year, designed to reduce sewage discharges, and the subsequent removal of the 180-tonne 'Wet Wipe Island' from the foreshore a few months later. Thames21 estimates that 5 million wipes were removed with the island.
While the Port of London Authority (PLA) notes it is too early to definitively attribute the drop solely to these interventions or changing river conditions, Thames21 plans to continue monitoring. Many wet wipes contain plastic fibres and can end up on riverbanks via storm water overflow and sewage outfall, with Thames Water estimating 3.8 billion wipes are flushed into its network annually.
The government announced in December that the sale of single-use wet wipes containing plastic will be illegal by May 2027.