A recent shocking image from Australia serves as a stark reminder: flushing baby wipes is a big no-no. Diaper wipes are undeniably convenient for cleaning up messes, but flushing them down the toilet? That’s a recipe for disaster. Instead of disappearing, they turn into a colossal blob of sewer-clogging sludge, and that’s precisely why all diaper wipe packaging clearly states not to flush them.
Does this scenario sound familiar? Unfortunately, some folks are ignoring the warning. The Lower Hunter Water Authority in Australia recently shared a jaw-dropping photo of a crane lifting a staggering 23-foot, 1,653-pound mass of baby wipes from a blocked sewer pipe. And just to add to the horror, that pile was only part of the obstruction; workers had to manually extract another 661 pounds of wipes and trash.
These so-called “fatbergs” — a term used to describe the massive clumps of wet wipes, diapers, feminine hygiene products, and other non-flushable items that clog our sewage systems — have been a persistent issue for years. In 2014, a massive fatberg the size of a double-decker bus was famously removed from London’s sewer lines. A study by Kimberly-Clark Corporation found that around 90% of materials clogging sewage systems in the U.S. were never meant to be flushed. Seriously, what is going on?
Nick Kaiser from Hunter Water told ABC News that the problem has intensified with the rise of so-called “flushable” wipes, leading many to believe that any type of wipe can be safely flushed. Spoiler alert: they can’t. Most diaper wipes don’t break down in water. People flush them, or kids use them and toss them aside, leading to an influx of wipes in the sewage system, where they expand instead of decomposing. This contributes to fatbergs, which can, in turn, cause sewage to back up into homes and buildings, creating a whole lot of extra work for water service professionals.
Kaiser emphasizes that diaper wipes should only ever go in the trash can. “The safest way to think about what you can put down your toilet is the three Ps — pee, paper, and poo,” he advises. “Everything else should stay out of the sewer.”
Perhaps people flush baby wipes to avoid dealing with them, but doing so only guarantees that sanitation workers will eventually have to retrieve them using heavy machinery. It’s a terrible idea, and if you find yourself flushing diaper wipes, consider this your official wake-up call to stop right now.
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In summary, keep those diaper wipes out of the toilet. They’re not meant for flushing and only contribute to a bigger problem for our sewage systems. Remember, the only things that should be going down the toilet are pee, paper, and poo!
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