The wet wet island is removed from the Thames River in historical cleaning

Along the calm curves of the Thames River, near the Hummmithith Bridge in West London, a dark environmental teacher is finally dismantled.

This week, the “Wet Wipe Island” is removed, which was formed from wet wipes estimated at 180 tons that were installed on the river bottom. The work began earlier this month, and it is expected to end with the end.

The mass, which weighs about 15 floors in London and covers an area of ​​tennis courts, grows quietly for years.

“There are only hundreds of thousands of wet napkins when they approach,” said Emily Maccine, the first technical advisor at the London Port, who leads the cleaning process in partnership with the Times Water. As it happens Host Nil Köksal.

“They were mixed with the river deposits, so they are all brown … then mix with other parts of the garbage, so they form this big big hills.”

How did the island formed?

McLean says that the island has been gradually formed over the years, after some napkins described as purified to home toilets have been sent and overwhelmed the city’s sewage system.

These napkins were wiped in the river through the surplus points, especially the accumulation near the Hummermith Bridge due to the bending in the river, causing the stability of debris and homogeneity.

The problem is not only that it is an eye sore.

Wet Wipe has changed the Times River flow, which raised great concerns about its impact on water life.

According to environmental experts, napkins that contain many of them – which contain many of them – are a serious threat to the delicate ecosystem of the river, which is home to 125 species of fish and even serves As a nursery For five types of sharks.

A recent study showed this 70 percent of the Times They have plastic fibers in their stomachs. With the tissue collapsing slowly, get rid of the exact plastic in the water, which is easily consumed through marine life, the damage of the internal organs and the cutting of nutrition patterns.

The following steps

Because of the island scale, the London Port Authority cost an independent environmental study before continuing with cleaning.

McLean says the crews use huge mechanical excavators to remove the island in an environmentally responsible manner, using the so -called “light fire and shaking” technique that is separated from the napkins from the bottom of the river without disturbing the natural sediments.

Then, as you say, these napkins were “disposed of.”

It is attributed to popular support to help make cleaning a reality. Mclean says the Environmental Charity Times 21, which has been watching the site since 2017, has played an important role in increasing awareness, and helped build the issue to remove widely.

Before starting the mechanical process, the volunteers removed more than 140,000 individual hand napkins, with the extent of pollution.

Now, the results of this effort can help form future legislation. McLean says she is “truly pleased to hear” that Flior Anderson, the local deputy, It takes an invoice to Parliament to ban plastic in wet wipes.

The cleaning team also plans to analyze the removed waste samples to determine the existing amount of plastic, in an attempt to enhance the upcoming legislation.

“We really hope that this project will have a really positive impact on the environment,” McLean said.