Be a good A**hole

ANDY SERKIS TAKES ON A NEW CHARACTER, AN ANIMATED TALKING A**HOLE, TO STOP PEOPLE FLUSHING WET WIPES

• Plastic pollution campaigning organisation, City to Sea, has collaborated with world famous, Lord of the Rings actor Andy Serkis, to make a stand against the use of wet wipes and their damaging impact on the planet.
• The short film sees Andy Serkis take on the role of an animated talking a**hole, literally, to encourage people to make a change in their habits.
• Despite their naming, fatbergs are in fact made up of 93% of wet wipes and just 0.5% fat and are responsible for blocking the nation’s sewage sytems [1].
• 90% of wet wipes on the market contain plastic [2] and are therefore non-biodegradable.

City to Sea, a plastic pollution campaigning organisation, has today announced its collaboration with actor, voice over artist, director and author Andy Serkis. In a 30 second short film animation, Andy Serkis takes the role of a talking a**hole in a bid to raise awareness of the catastrophic impact of our addiction to wet wipes.

Famously known for his voice work as Gollum in The Lord of The Rings trilogy and as a passionate environmentalist, Andy Serkis is now the voice behind a brand-new character, a loveable talking a**hole. The campaign calls for the public to ‘be a good a**hole’ and dispose of wet wipes responsibly.

City to Sea and Andy Serkis are raising awareness of the damaging impact flushing wet wipes down the toilet has on our sewers and the environment. While fatbergs attract the headlines, in fact they consist of 93% wet wipes and only 0.5% fat, which has inspired City to Sea to take action. Despite what the majority may believe, 90% of wet wipes on the market contain plastic and do not biodegrade, with many wet wipe brands incorrectly labelling their products as flushable [3]. This has prompted City to Sea to urge the public to get off their backsides and “be a good a**hole.”

Natalie Fee, City to Sea founder, says, “It’s a bummer that so many people are still treating their toilets like bins and flushing single-use plastic wipes. And let’s face it, the real a**holes are the manufacturers who are still not listing the actual material of the wipe on the ingredients list. This is making it hard for people to realise they’re potentially flushing plastic down the loo. We’re thrilled that Andy is helping us raise awareness of the issue and shine a light on how what we do with our own ‘precious ring’ can save our seas. Be a good asshole and don’t believe the wipe.”

In 2018 the UK used over 10.8 billion wet wipes [4] and on average each of us will use around 38,000 over our lifetime [5]. Once flushed, wipes clog our pipes and sewers contributing to giant ‘fatbergs’ which lead to sewage systems overflowing, spilling into waterways and seas and inevitably pollute our oceans with plastics and sewage. In 2018 the Marine Conservation Society recorded over 14 wet wipes per 100 metres of coastline, a rise of 700% over the last decade [6].

City to Sea is calling on the public to stop flushing wet wipes down the toilet and to only flush the 3Ps – pee, paper and poo. The organisation advises that if you do need to use wet wipes, always put them in the bin and not down the toilet. Or even better, use reusable wipes or just toilet roll.

Speaking on his involvement on the campaign, Andy Serkis explains, “All across the news we are seeing people take a stand to look after our planet. It’s time we all start taking responsibility for our actions and that starts with being a good a**hole. It’s only one tiny change we can all make which goes a long way in protecting our oceans. I didn’t think I’d ever feel so passionate to take on the role of a talking a**hole.”

Founded in 2014, City to Sea is an award-winning, not-for-profit organisation campaigning to stop plastic pollution at source and advocates reduce and reduce over single-use. Their mission is to encourage and inspire people from all walks of life with solutions-focused initiatives to help make a positive impact on our planet – from cities to the sea.