The Defra Plan for Water and what Contract Cleaning Services can do to help

What is The Defra Plan for Water?

Released by the UK government on the 4^th of April 2023, The Defra Plan for Water sets out the actions our government is taking to improve the water quality and resources in England.

We have legislated through the Environment Act 2021 for stronger powers for our regulators, for tackling pollution and for greater transparency with the public so we can hold water companies and polluters to account. We have set specific legally binding targets and set out how to reduce water pollution in our new Environmental Improvement Plan.

We will:

1. Transform management of the whole water system

2. Deliver a clean water environment for nature and people

3. Secure a plentiful supply of water

What is the state of the UK’s water?

Taken from the Gov.uk website,

We use about 14 billion litres of water per day and will need 4 billion more by 2050.

As you can see, London and the South East are in solid dark blue. Less than 5% of rivers and wetlands achieve a ‘good’ ecological status throughout that region.

What is a ‘good’ ecological status?

A ‘good’ ecological status for rivers and waterways is given when the water area meets the following criteria;

1. Ecological

2. Chemical

3. Groundwater

4. Bathing

5. Shellfish and drinking water protected area

6. Protected nature site condition

What are the new actions in The Defra Plan for Water?

With high impact on the cleaning industry actions in bold, these actions include:

1. £1.6 billion of new, accelerated investment by water companies to spend on infrastructure to tackle pollution and increase water resilience

2. New plans to restrict the use of ‘forever’ chemicals (PFAS) found in rivers and seas

3. Increasing the scope and maximum amount the Environment Agency can secure in penalties, with a preferred option for unlimited penalties.

4. Ensuring that all fines and penalties are reinvested into a new Water Restoration Fund, delivering on-the-ground improvements and supporting local groups and community-led schemes

5. A consultation to ban plastic wet wipes.

6. An extra £34 million for farmers to tackle water pollution, with an additional £10 million for farm reservoirs and irrigation.

7. Increasing permit charges on water companies to fund more EA water company inspections, with new inspection targets.

8. Streamlining the planning process so that water supply infrastructure – such as reservoirs and water transfer schemes – can be built more quickly.

PFAS in rivers and seas

The impact of PFAS on UK rivers and seas

The chemical status of the UK’s water is mostly impacted by PFAS, or ‘forever chemicals’. These are used in a lot of products (especially cleaning products) and are a major contributor to water pollution.

1. They are persistent, meaning they stay in the environment for a long time.

2. They move between different parts of the environment, including soil and water bodies.

3. They can contribute to antimicrobial resistance – which can be harmful to human health.

The Government will be publishing a new ‘Chemicals Strategy’ with restriction proposals later this year (2023) to help address the use of PFAS in the UK.

Building owners, and therefore Facilities Management and Cleaning Companies, need to be aware of the risks of PFAS and take steps to reduce their use to avoid any penalties that could be incurred.

PFAS in cleaning products

PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of man-made chemicals that have been used in a wide variety of products, including cleaning products. Some of the most common cleaning products that contain PFAS include:

1. Dishwasher detergent. PFAS are often added to dishwasher detergent to help prevent food from sticking to dishes.

2. Laundry detergent. PFAS can be found in some laundry detergents to help make clothes water-resistant and stain-resistant.

3. Stain removers. PFAS are sometimes added to stain removers to help break down stains.

4. Floor waxes and polishes. PFAS can be found in some floor waxes and polishes to help make floors water-resistant and easy to clean.

5. Degreasers. PFAS are sometimes added to grease-fighting products to help break down grease and oil.

It is important to note that not all cleaning products contain PFAS. There are a number of brands that offer PFAS-free cleaning products.

PFAS-free cleaning products

This is a real issue. Put simply, there isn’t a simple, one-size-fits-all solution that we, or anyone else, can offer. There are a lot of cleaning products used every day containing PFAS. We’re keeping in close contact with our current suppliers and talking to new suppliers to find the best alternatives for our customers.

PFAS-free options:

1. The 1-range and Eco-Dose chemicals are PFAS-free. As a rule of thumb, most of our Foremost-branded cleaning chemicals are PFAS-free - including floor maintainers but excluding floor polishes.

2. Use Chemical-free cleaning products like Aqueous Ozone or Synbiotics.

3. Please call us on 01243 771340 to talk to a specialist and discover which products would be best for your company.

Microplastics entering the water system

The impact of microplastics

Microplastics can enter the water environment from many sources, such as tyre particles, microfibres from clothes generated during washing, the atmosphere, and personal care products.

Wastewater treatment plants can remove up to 99% of microplastics, but even that remaining 1% can cause a lot of damage to the environment.

Here are a few quick facts about Microplastics;

1. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that are less than 5 millimetres in size.

2. They can be harmful to aquatic life because they can be mistaken for food.

3. They can also accumulate in the food chain and eventually make their way into our bodies.

It’s important to stop microplastics from entering the water system in the first place.

What the UK government is doing about microplastics

The government is;

1. Increasing their understanding of the levels and extent of microplastics in the water environment, and their impact on humans and wildlife

2. Developing methods to measure the amount and types of microplastics and microfibres in rivers and sediment

The UK government will;

1. Change the law to ban the sale of wet wipes containing plastic - subject to public consultation - and work with industry to ensure plastic-free alternatives are available, building on recent action from retailers including Boots and Tesco in response to public calls to address plastic in our water system

2. Support the Water UK communications campaign to ‘Bin the Wipe’ and write to the relevant producers and advertising authorities regarding the labelling of wet wipes as ‘flushable’ – this action will also help reduce pressure on the sewerage system and the use of storm overflows

3. Expect the [laundry machine] industry to develop low-cost, effective microfibre filters on washing machines and encourage their effective use

Plastic-free wet wipes and alternatives

1. Wet wipes made from bamboo fibres (for example; Cheeky Panda)

2. Depending on the application, you could consider using paper wiping rolls or microfibre cloths with your choice of cleaning solution – giving you more control of what you clean your areas with.

Sources: https://deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2023/04/05/the-integrated-plan-for-water/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plan-for-water-our-integrated-plan-for-delivering-clean-and-plentiful-water/plan-for-water-our-integrated-plan-for-delivering-clean-and-plentiful-water