Wet wipes ban - the uk government announcement that keeps on giving

It appears that Conservative MPs are doing their bit for the environment by recycling previous wet wipe ban announcements.  And yesterday they also managed to recycle Saturday's announcement about water company penalties and a national water plan.

Except that on wet wipes what they actually announced was a commitment to consult on a ban on the use of plastic in wet wipes

Yesterday in a press release the UK's Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said "I completely understand the concerns that people have about the health and resilience of our waters, which is why I am setting out this plan for a truly national effort to protect and improve them. That includes higher penalties taken from water company profits which will be channelled back into the rivers, lakes and streams where it is needed."  The same press release  said the plan included a commitment to consult on a ban on the use of plastic in wet wipes.  So she managed to recycle Saturdays announcement about penalties and a national water plan.

Last Saturday in a press release the UK's Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said "Through the Water Restoration Fund, I will be making sure that money from higher fines and penalties – taken from water company profits, not customers – is channelled directly back into the rivers, lakes and streams where it is needed. "

In a March 2022 a press release from Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the Environment Agency and George Eustice - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary - one of the commitments was to "publish responses to a call for evidence on options to eliminate the use of wet wipes and ensure they are biodegradable where needed"..

And according to a post by the UK newspaper the Mirror, apparently George Eustice (MP) proposed a  wet wipe ban in November 2021 when he held the Environment Secretary post, and in May 2018 Michael Gove first raised the idea when he was Environment Secretary.

For the water companies this ban  - if it ever happens - will also help them reduce costs as they eventiually won't have to deal with as many fatbergs blocking sewers.