Flushable Wet Wipes, do they block drains?

That is one of the many questions. However the true question should be – do they dissolve or disintegrate?

According to a Choice article, and Sydney Water, we are polluting our drains, waterways, wildlife and environment with wet wipes. Not only that, but residents are being handed invoices for $1,000s and $1,000s by plumbers who are having to spend more and more of their time unblocking drains and pulling wipes out of  pipes because they have been flushed down the toilet.

Some quick and dirty facts about Wipes and Blocked Drains (Choice)

• One in four people in Sydney is flushing wet wipes.
• Sydney Water has removed more than 1000 tonnes of wet wipe materials from its wastewater system in the past two years. If laid end-to-end, that’s enough wet wipes to reach LA and back again.
• Wet wipes increase the risk of pipe blockages and overflows to local creeks and rivers.
• About 75% of all sewer blockages involve wet wipes.

“Blocked Drains” by Flushable Wipes

The major manufacturers are not selling the drain-buster story “Blocked Drains“, but the ones who have to clean up the mess and deal with the damage they cause are trying to get that message out there. Flushable wipes have became a ‘necessary’ item in our everyday life, but disposing of them ethically has become a major issue.

“Just because something is flushable doesn’t mean it breaks down,” says Sydney Water media and communications advisor Peter Hadfield, holding up his mobile phone. “Technically my phone is flushable, but that doesn’t mean it should go down the toilet.”

While the makers of flushable wipes claim these products are “designed to dissolve and disintegrate” and “break up … like toilet paper”, those who work in the wastewater industry and plumbers across the land tell a different story.”

This is a fabulous ‘amusing but true’ video about the development, misuse and confusion in the market place about Flushable Wipes.

To read the full article, please click here – it is a very good article.

If you have been flushing wet wipes down the toilet, don’t leave it until the pipes are blocked to call a plumber! Contact us now, Wild Water Plumbing, before the issue is out of control. Just because you can’t see the blockage growing, does not mean it is not festering in the pipes. We have CCTV inspection equipment we can use straight away to see what the cause of the blockage is before we give you a quote.

Blocked drain sydney issues qualify for a free assessment and quote from Wild Water Plumbing – the No Mess On Time Plumber! Look forward to hearing from you soon, or fill out our form.