Not quite as you know it! We've all heard the expression 'if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down', and no one really likes discussing 'their business'. We totally get you. However, there are some very basic things found at home that should NEVER be flushed down the toilet - and we're going to tell you why.
1. Bathroom wipes – these moist towelettes are becoming an increasingly
popular bathroom accessory. Despite the fact that they’re marketed to be
flushed like toilet paper, these wipes are creating clogs and backups
in sewer systems around the world! (Same thing goes for actual baby wipes and cleaning wipes).
2. Condoms – They probably seem small and very similar
to toilet tissue, but these latex prophylactics are like kryptonite
for septic tanks and sewage treatment plants. They actually end up resembling fish in the sewer when they fill with air - pretty grim, right? Remember also that there are people who have jobs that require them to clear out what we flush out and some consideration goes a long way.
3. Cotton Balls & Swabs – They might seem soft and tiny especially when they're all soggy, so it makes sense to flush them out, right? Wrong! They eventually gather together in bends of the pipe, causing massive
blockages.
4. Prescription Medication – A common mistake we make is thinking that we're doing the smart thing by flushing expired medication to keep them out of children's reach. In reality though it's actually extremely dangerous to do so. Medication destroy bacteria, have terrible effects on wildlife downstream and contaminate groundwater supplies.
5. Paper towels – Not only are they wasteful (we recommend using reusable rags instead) but they are also NOT designed to breakdown the way toilet paper does. So if you do have to use them, know that flushing them down causes huge problems for the sewage system.
6. Disposable diapers – just because there’s poop in it, doesn’t mean it belongs in the toilet. Nappies
are made from toxic plastic designed to actually expand when it comes in
contact with water. In half the time it took you to wrestle that thing down the toilet, it will come back up and cause a massive flush flow problem.
7. Cat litter – It might make sense to flush down your furry pet's business, but cat litter is made
from clay and sand, two things that you should NEVER put down a toilet.
Not to mention that cat waste contains toxins and parasites that shouldn’t be in our water system.
8. Dental floss – Despite feeling like string, dental
floss is not biodegradable. Once flushed, it loves to wrap itself around
other objects in the pipeline, making tiny clogs bigger in an instant. Imagine a tough spider web that causes objects to get trapped inside the drainage - not a pretty picture!
There you have it. The next time you think of flushing things down your toilet, think of how it could come back and contaminate our water supply as well as how it affects the steady flow of our sewage systems.
