They are often ready to hand in the bathroom: after use, the wet wipes don’t end up in the compost bin or in the toilet Photo: picture alliance/dpa
From BZ/dpa
Parents with small children know them. Even people with sensitive skin often use wet wipes, for example for hygiene in the intimate area. What is there to consider after use?
Wet wipes are made of different materials, such as viscose or cellulose. The packaging of the wipes, which are made from cotton or bamboo, often states that they are biodegradable.
It is true that these are natural starting materials. However, the Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU) has a different opinion:
Wet wipes should not be disposed of in the organic waste bin.
Really compostable?
The cloths, more precisely their carrier material, are specially processed in such a way that they are tear-resistant. Therefore, the VKU experts doubt that they will be safely decomposed during composting. “Materials that do not dissolve in water or only dissolve very poorly are not suitable for the organic waste bin.”
The cloths are often bleached, chemically processed and soaked in lotions. Therefore, the VKU experts consider the reference to the alleged biodegradability to be questionable and advise against throwing the cloths in the organic waste bin or even on the compost.
By the way, they don’t usually belong in the toilet either: They can clog pipes – and the plastics they contain can get into the environment as microplastic particles via the wastewater.