Campaigners say supermarkets like New World which provide wipes near shopping trollies must stop the practice, as its bad for the environment and is also scaremongering customers into unnecessary behaviour.

They’re also calling out work places which hand out wipes indiscriminately around the office and in bathrooms.

Earlier this year, the UK government announced it will ban all disposable wipes, within 25 years.

So should New Zealand follow suit – and in the mean time should the likes of supermarkets and employers be more responsible around the behaviour they encourage? Emily Frost is the Science Advisor for Our Seas Our Future.