Public Service Announcement - "Flushable" Products
Public Service Announcement - "Flushable" Products
Recently, the City of Salem has had several sewer backup calls and pumps malfunctioning due to the lines being clogged with “flushable” wipes.
We have seen in recent years the introduction of more and more disposable wipe products for a variety of household uses, many of the products are labeled as “flushable.”
While the market is flooded with convenience items, these products may potentially become a huge inconvenience because they may clog not only the sewer on your property, but also cause blockages and backup problems in Salem’s sewer system and pump stations.
To understand how these wipes can become a problem, it’s important to know how the sewer system works. Every home has a sewer connection that runs from the home to the public sewer system. This sewer service line is the responsibility of the homeowner to maintain so there are no backups of wastewater into the home. From there, the sewage moves into larger collector lines, and pump stations help lift the wastewater across different elevations in the sewer system to our wastewater plant for processing.
Why are household wipes a problem? Unlike toilet paper, these products do not break down once they are flushed. They can then cause blockages in your home sewer lines, resulting in the backup of sewage into the home. A repair of the service line can leave the homeowner with an unexpected repair bill and a nasty cleanup.
On a larger scale, when these products make their way into the public sewer system, they collect together and cause clogs in the collector lines and get tangled in the pumps. When pump stations are clogged, they stop working and require cleaning and usually costly repairs – sometimes including replacement.
Avoid a nasty cleanup in your home and help protect the City’s sewer system by never flushing any consumer item, other than toilet paper, down the toilet regardless of what the label or packaging promises. Put these items in the trash instead:
Disinfecting wipes, Baby Wipes or “flushable” wipes
Cotton swabs and cotton balls
Feminine hygiene products
Paper towels or moist towelettes
Toilet bowl cleaning pads, “disposable” shop towels
Any other consumer product that is not toilet paper
Not sure if it should be flushed?? Here’s an easy reminder: If its not toilet paper, and if you didn’t eat it or drink it first, it shouldn’t go in the toilet.