Flushables
You can protect the environment! All you have to do is remember the three P’s. When you flush the toilet, you should only be flushing the three P’s:
- Pee
- Poop
- Toilet Paper
Everything else should be thrown in the trash. When you flush garbage down the toilet, it can clog your pipes and damage the town's sewer system.
Take wipes for example. The packaging often says that wipes are flushable. In fact, when you flush wipes down the toilet, they build up and cause clogs.
Use the table below to discover what your neighbours are often flushing – and how it harms our infrastructure.
Item | Effect on System |
Kitty litter, tampons, pads, cotton swabs, cotton pads, hair | Clump together and clog the system |
Cleaning products, medication, cigarettes | Contaminate water system, poison aquatic environments, kill good bacteria, increase bacterial resistance to pharmaceuticals |
Paper towels, tissues, “flushable” wipes, baby wipes | Too thick and sturdy to flush. Instead, they build up and cause clogs and pump jams. |
Bandaids, floss, gum, condoms | Not biodegradable. They stick together, stick to other items, and stick to inside of pipes. |
So, what can you do to help protect the environment?
- Teach your kids and family members to only flush the three P’s
- Keep a garbage can next to your toilet for everything else
- Ask us if you aren’t sure whether something is safe to flush!
Fats, Oil, and Grease
Fats, oil, and grease (FOG) also have a big impact on our environment.
If you pour them down the drain or flush them down the toilet, FOGs will cool and clog the pipes that take the wastewater from your home to the wastewater treatment plant. Grease buildup in pipes can cause major damage to pipes and lead to sewage back-ups which cause basement damage.
Instead:
- Cool it,
- Scrape it, and
- Bin it!
Before washing pots, pans, and dirty dishes, let FOGs harden. Wipe them with a paper towel, or scrape the FOGS into a container or garbage can.