A NATIONAL campaign calling for an end to misleading labelling on non-biodegradable products is being supported by a variety of organisations and environmental groups in Bude.

Water companies across the country, including South West Water, have written to the Chartered Trading Standards Institute aiming to stop misleading labels on products such as wet wipes and sanitary items being printed, claiming they are able to be flushed down toilets when, in fact, this is detrimental to the marine environment and community.

Products such as wet wipes, sanitary items and other toiletries, labelled as being eligible for flushing, can block sewers, thus being responsible for flooding many homes and gardens, while also releasing plastics into the environment.

With South West Water spending more than £4.5-million a year on clearing more than 8,500 blockages in the region’s sewage systems and homes, they, along with other water companies across the country, are calling on something to be done about the misleading labelling, with hopes this will hinder the ongoing problem.

People in Bude are also in support of this national campaign, with beach clean groups and environmental organisations having their say on the global issue.

Pete Cooper, a leading member of the Crackington Crew beach clean group, told the Post: “As a volunteer beach cleaner for more than two years, I’m still astonished by some of the things the Crackington Crew discover on the strand line of Crackington Haven.”

Pete admitted that he had invented his very own word to describe the flushed flotsam issue, claiming the amount of ‘flushom’ washed up on the beaches is ‘mind-boggling’.

He continued: “Bits of plastic, sanitary products, wet wipes — sometimes even razor blades and needles — are scooped up from our beaches where people walk barefoot.”

Pete’s advice for anyone unsure on what to do with these products is to use an appropriate bin for wipes, sanitary products and their packaging and applicators, cotton buds and other items.

Pete said: “The problem is largely down to habit — people buy what they know and love; they don’t think too closely about what’s in them, and when they get flushed, they become someone else’s problem to deal with.

“Sewage works don’t work with plastic, and on the occasions that raw sewage is released into the sea in particularly bad weather, that problem ends up on Bude’s beaches.”

Praising Surfers Against Sewage’s work in campaigning for cleaner seas and a safer marine environment, Pete also mentioned the dedicated work of local groups such as BeachCare, part of Keep Britain Tidy and supported by South West Water, and the 2 Minute Beach Clean, founded by local environmental hero Martin Dorey, who are constantly working to raise awareness and take action with their campaigns, making the issue of marine pollution more well-known.

Lynda Bolding, who is part of both the Crackington Crew and Widemouth Task Force, was pleased to hear of the action taken towards tackling the issue.

Having picked up wet wipes, sanitary items and other toiletries that haven’t been filtered through the sewage system from her local beaches daily, Lynda recalled her recent trips to Turkey and Montenegro, where even toilet paper isn’t allowed to be flushed down the toilet due to measures against this pollution.

Lynda said: “I can understand people using them, but it would make a huge difference if, in large letters, (on the packaging) it says ‘do not flush’.”

Lynda is also a member of the Morsbags group, also know as the Bude Baggers, who use recycled materials, including duvets and curtains, to make individual and unique bags, allowing those who purchase one to avoid the use of plastic bags.

Deb Rosser, one of Bude’s most active beach cleaners, who is also responsible for the Refill Bude project, while balancing her job as a teacher, heard of this during a BBC news report on the morning of October 26. She believes tissue is also a major problem.

Deb said: “This is another example of massive companies and their marketing departments pulling the wool over consumers’ eyes!”

Deb, who completes beach cleans regularly on Crooklets beach in Bude, said that their team often recover plastic cotton buds, wipes and other items while tackling the pollution on their local beach.

She continued: “Again, it all goes back to basic — simple toilet paper. I remember the good old medicated ‘Izal’ paper, so rough you could only use one piece. Now we have triple layered soft pockets.

“We pick up nappies and baby wipes on Crooklets, but mainly in the holiday season. We always hope that people have forgotten to take them with them when they pack up after their day on the beach. After a sewage release, we always find serious numbers of cotton bud sticks; we pick up plastic tampon applicators too — none of these need to be made from plastic.

“There are very soft and half broken down ‘tissues’ often seen in a beach clean and picked up. I guess now we know the truth about flushable tissues; that is what they are.”

Deb added: “I really hope, given today’s (October 26) news headlines, the public will think twice about buying these products, or put them in the bin — not down the toilet! Let’s also hope our tissue producing companies get labelling ‘unflushable’ very quickly!”

Wet wipes, in particular, are designed to last, meaning their material doesn’t fall apart when wet, and they can withstand being scrubbed onto faces, hands and items.

Therefore, they do not break down in the sewage system as easy as regular toilet paper, and when they do eventually break up, they add to the vast amount of micro plastics being poured into the sea — another ongoing global problem.

Deeming the labelling on the products as ‘misleadling’, Neil Hembrow, BeachCare officer for the South West, who spends a lot of his time in Bude, said: “I think the labelling on these wipes is extremely misleading. Just take a few wipes, squish them together and you get an entangled mass of strong fibres that won’t break down in the sewage system. Multiply this by many times and you see the stress it causes on the sewage system. They should not be flushed at all.

“My message is, use paper, but if you are using these wipes, pop them in a bin, along with other sanitary items.”

From BeachCare’s surveys, with nearly 60,000 marine litter items, it has been found that sewage related debris accounts for approximately 1.8% of overall pollution, and Neil explained that, although they do not find many wet wipes on the beach, they are causing severe issues in the sewage system, creating potential overflows that often result in getting washed up onto the beaches.

He added: “I fully support this campaign and hope consumers and the industry take action to prevent blockages and reduce litter on our shoreline.”

In response, Melissa Dring, director of policy at the Chartered Trading Standards Insitute, said: “We received a letter from the 21st Century Drainage Programme today (October 26), outlining concerns about alleged mislabelling of wet wipes.

“We will examine the evidence and respond in due course, but ultimately the decision on whether there is a breach of consumer protection legislation rests with the courts.”