The Plague of “Flushable” Wipes
We don’t know everything, but we do know sewers. Believe us when we say that the only things you should be flushing down your toilet are poop, pee, and toilet paper. That’s it.
After you flush the toilet or pour something down the drain, it leaves your home and makes its way to a wastewater treatment plant. In New York City, there are 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations that take our wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. In total, New Yorkers produce, and DEP collects and treats, an average of 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater each day. Yep, that’s right, 1.3 BILLION gallons.
One of the first steps in the wastewater treatment process is screening all of the non-biological solid materials that end up at our treatment plants out of the sewage stream. This can include anything that was improperly flushed down the toilet, along with any leaves, sticks, or litter that is discarded on the street and ends up in our catch basins. Traditional toilet paper is organic and breaks up in the sewer system, harmlessly passing through the screens and removed later in the treatment process. However, sanitary wipes — even those marketed as flushable — tend to be petroleum-based and arrive at the treatment plants intact causing a big headache for plant operators.
As sales of “flushable” wipes have risen, so too has the number of them showing up at our wastewater treatment plants. Because these “non-woven” fabric products don’t break down in water, they clog screens and cause damage to motors, pumps, and other equipment. This year, the cost associated with processing and removing the additional material to landfills will likely reach $7.5 million. That estimate does not include the cost in damage to homes and businesses when improperly disposed of wipes, along with grease, result in sewer back-ups.
For many families, especially those with young children, sanitary wipes are an absolute necessity and our intention is not to discourage their use. Our goal is to ensure that consumers have the correct information about what can and cannot be flushed down the toilet safely. As such, let it be known that all wipes, whether they’re for cleaning for your home, face or bottom — even if the package indicates that they’re biodegradable or flushable — should be discarded in the trash rather than flushed down the toilet.
