Is it OK to flush flushable wet wipes?
We've all seen them on the supermarket shelves, there are wipes for just about everything you could possibly need to do, from removing your makeup to cleaning the car. The popularity of this handy modern convenience has soared in recent years with one in four Sydneysiders using the 'flushable' style of wipes.
Disposable wipes are costing the city around $8 million every 365 days, that's a whopping $21 900 per day. Homeowners are not immune to the effects of wipes either, with plumbers unclogging drains across Sydney blocked solid with wipes every single week.
The problem is only getting worse with more and more wet wipe brands appearing on the market every year.
As responsible plumbers, we thought we would dispel some of the myths around so-called 'flushable' wipes.
Are wet wipes safe to flush?
No. Avoid flushing any type of wet wipe, they can clog up your plumbing faster than you can say blocked drain.
Newer products on the market claim to have increased their flush-ability by omitting synthetic fibres and designing wipes that break up better in the sewer pipes. However, even one leading brand adds the recommendation that wipes should only be flushed two at a time and only used in a properly maintained sewerage system so we still recommend disposing of the wipes in a bin rather than down the toilet.
A single wet wipe flushed from your toilet bowl, down a smooth sewer pipe, out into the main sewer line, and along to the wastewater treatment plant may not be an issue.
Problems occur because the wipe is not the only thing going down the drain. In the next 5 minutes from your house alone many other substances may also travel a similar path, some of those could include fat washed out of the dishwasher, hair from the shower, Goldy the goldfish (RIP Goldy), last night's curry, oil from the breakfast fry up, the last bits of egg that no one could fit in, plus, on top of all that throw in another couple of 'flushable' wipes.
Do you see how it can easily build up?
Add to this gluggy situation a slight crack in the sewer pipe with a small tree root poking through which catches the single wet wipe as it travels past. Everything else which washes down the drain from then on has a good chance of snagging on the wipe. If this happens often enough (and it will) you can end up with a solidly blocked drain.
When this happens here's the number of a great plumber in Sydney 02 9191 7374.
Which wet wipes are safe for a septic system?
None.
What is the best way to dispose of wet wipes?
The best way to dispose of all wet wipes is to throw them in the rubbish bin. Even the ones labelled 'flushable'.
Are wet wipes compostable? Biodegradable?
Quite possibly some wet wipes are biodegradable, but under what conditions and after how long is another question. Many, however, are made with plastic or synthetic materials which won't biodegrade or compost for decades.
What's the answer to the flushable wipe problem?
Some responsibility can be shouldered by flushable wet wipe manufacturers, however, you the user/wiper can affect the biggest and most significant change by choosing not to flush your wipes. Be part of the solution starting today.
References - https://www.choice.com.au/health-and-body/beauty-and-personal-care/skin-care-and-cosmetics/articles/flushable-wipes, http://www.sydneywater.com.au/SW/water-the-environment/what-you-can-do/wastewater-tips/index.htm
