Five million wet wipes dug out in clean-up of London’s ‘Wet Wipe Island’

• 114 tonnes – including about c. 5 million wet wipes – has been removed from ‘Wet Wipe Island’ on the River Thames by the Port of London Authority, in collaboration with Thames Water and environmental charity Thames21 
• The operation was the country’s first mass wet wipe removal project of its kind which also scooped up towels, scarves, trousers and false teeth 

Port of London Authority, in collaboration with Thames Water and environmental charity Thames21, has completed a three-week project and removed about 5 million wet wipes that had congealed into a 250-metre island on the foreshore of the Thames near Hammersmith Bridge. 

Also among the 114 tonnes removed was towels, scarves, trousers, pants, a car’s engine timing belt and even a set of dentures that had been trapped in the ‘island’. 

To remove the potentially harmful and polluting ‘island’, engineers on site developed an innovative ‘rake and shake’ method. They used two eight-tonne excavators to sift through the island, separating wet wipes and waste from the natural sediment and riverbed, to minimise the environmental impact. 

In total, almost 200 cubic metres of wet wipes containing plastics and other materials were taken away in 15 skips and disposed of responsibly. It comes as the Government has published draft legislation to ban wet wipes that contain plastics.  

The island, which was about the size of two tennis courts and up to 1m high in places, had changed the course of the river and potentially harmed the aquatic wildlife and ecology in the area. 

Thames21 and its volunteers have been monitoring the island since 2017. Their data and research inspired the PLA to take a lead in coordinating the removal of Wet Wipe Island, helped to raise awareness of how wet wipes containing plastic can degrade the environment and harm wildlife and helped to influence government policy. 

Port of London Authority’s Director of Sustainability, Grace Rawnsley, said: “After months of planning and hard work, we’re so pleased to have finally been able to clear this stretch of the Thames. The reaction of local communities – and of people across the country and beyond – has been really encouraging but also slightly incredulous that this work was needed in the first place. 

“As a business which reinvests all the money we make back into the river and its communities, we are proud to have been able to drive forward this first-of-its-kind project and, while at times the work was pretty gross, it was well worth it to help clean the river. We will continue innovating and investing to help secure a cleaner, healthier tidal Thames.” 

Thames Water’s Head of Tideway Integration Group, John Sullivan, said: “The estimate of 5 million wet wipes is staggering, and we are delighted to have helped clean up this stretch of river. This ‘island’ was a direct result of people flushing away wet wipes containing plastic and shows the damage that is caused by putting the wrong things down your toilet. 

“Flushing a wet wipe and other non-biodegradable items away does not make them magically disappear. Blockages caused by wipes are a leading cause of pollution and we remove an estimated 3.8 billion wipes from our network each year. 

“We have been pleased to collaborate with the PLA and Thames21 but what we – and more importantly our rivers – need now is for people to change their behaviour. That, in addition to our Thames Tideway Tunnel and the Government’s proposed ban on wet wipes containing plastic will stop nasties like Wet Wipe Island appearing.”  

Chris Coode, CEO at Thames21, said: “Plastic wet wipes have no place in our rivers or natural environment, so it’s fantastic news that work has been completed to remove wet wipe island in the Thames.

“This vital move is a crucial step towards protecting the health of the River Thames and its wildlife, as it will reduce the introduction of microplastics into the environment from this site. 

“Thames21 and its dedicated volunteers have been building evidence for eight years. We want to give our volunteers a huge shout-out for their persistence. This has been a massive piece of work! 

“Thames21 has been pushing for a ban on plastics in wet wipes. However, we would like to see more systemic change to tackle the issue of plastics entering the environment via wet wipes and other sanitary waste. 

“We want producers to get serious about plastic-free alternatives to wet wipes. We ask water companies to increase their investment in screening to prevent wet wipes and other sanitary waste which contains plastic entering the environment. We’d also like to see a step-change in their investments in upgrading sewage infrastructure to prevent overflows. We’d like to remind people to bin their sanitary waste and wet wipes, not flush them down the toilet, so that they don’t enter our wastewater system. 

“By working together, we can achieve great things for rivers, wildlife and people. Let’s do it!” 

St Paul’s School in Barnes supported the clean-up by giving access to its grounds to allow the eight-tonne excavators to carefully remove the ‘island’. 

James Cox, Director of Operations at St Paul’s School, said: “Like all members of the local community who value and appreciate a clean and healthy Thames, we applaud this work and were delighted to help in any small way we could. We have a number of clubs and societies actively focused on sustainability and this work by the PLA, Thames Water and Thames21 continues to inspire us both as educators and pupils alike.” 

Fleur Anderson, MP for Putney, Southfields, Roehampton and Wandsworth Town, said: “I’m delighted that the wet wipe island has been cleared and that the Thames is cleaner as a result. Thanks to the Port of London Authority and Thames Water for doing this messy job and for Thames21 volunteers for their annual wet wipe count. I'm glad that the government has agreed to bring in a new law to ban plastic in wet wipes so we don't have wet wipe islands in the Thames or any other river in the future. The message is clear - don't flush any wet wipes.” 

Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy, Mete Coban, said: “We know the damage wet wipes and other non-biodegradable items can cause – polluting the river, potentially harming wildlife and leaving an unsightly mess – so it’s been an outstanding effort from the PLA, Thames Water and Thames21 to clean up this stretch of the river. 

“The Mayor and I welcome the Government’s draft legislation to ban wet wipes that contain plastics, and we are committed to working with them and partners across sectors on cleaning up and protecting London's waterways. We are currently developing a new plan with partners including Thames Water and local councils to ensure that our rivers are something that Londoners can be proud of as we continue building a greener, fairer, better London for everyone.” 

Ben Williams, CEO, John F Hunt Regeneration, said: “John F Hunt Regeneration was delighted to support the Port of London Authority, Thames Water and Thames21 on such an important project. 

“Working within tight tidal windows on a sensitive stretch of riverbank was challenging, but we developed the ‘rake and shake’ method to separate waste from natural sediment effectively while protecting the fragile foreshore. The nature of the site and the sheer volume of material to be removed made the task complex, yet it shows what can be achieved when specialists, agencies and volunteers work together to deliver lasting environmental improvement.” 

Previously, efforts to clean wet wipes from this unique natural environment have relied on people removing them by hand. Inspired by the work of volunteers at Thames21, the PLA decided to take a lead in co-ordinating larger scale action to remove this unsightly and harmful mess. 

The UK’s biggest port, which is responsible for protecting and improving the tidal Thames, commissioned an independent ecological study of the site. This helped inform and develop an environmentally responsible plan to use a mechanical excavator to remove the wet wipes on a mass scale. 

The project was part of an ambition to improve river health in the River Thames. The PLA’s Clean Thames Manifesto coordinates action across a number of stakeholders towards a clean, pollution free river with a healthy ecosystem by 2050. 

Thames Water also recently announced a further £1.8billion investment to improve river health across London, and last year connected its £4.6 billion Thames Tideway Tunnel to support the reduction of sewage discharges into the tidal Thames by 95%.