Boots has become the latest retailer in Ireland to stop selling wet wipes containing plastic to reduce non-biodegradable waste.

The pharmacy chain, which has almost 90 locations across Ireland, announced yesterday that it had written to its suppliers pledging to remove all wet wipes that contain plastic from its shelves, as well as its website, by the end of this year.

Wet wipes are often flushed down the toilet by consumers, causing blockages and damaging the ocean and its wildlife.

Boots, which sells about 48 million wet wipes in its stores and online every year, will replace them with plant-based biodegradable alternatives. The retailer stopped using plastic in its own-label baby wipes last year.

Holland & Barrett, the healthcare chain, announced a ban on the

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