Our household toilets are not bins designed to dispose of personal
care and hygiene products. Here’s what you shouldn’t flush down the
toilet.
There are only three things you can flush down the toilet: urine, feces, and toilet paper. In other words, human waste, or the three Ps: pee, poo, and paper.
The wastewater path usually takes one of two directions. It either goes through a pipe to the local sewers in your community or to a septic tank near your house.
Before reaching your local treatment plant, the sewage passes through a sieve of metal rods that filter larger objects and items that enter the sewers.
From there it all goes to the settling pond where solids like sand and gravel that have been picked up along the way settle to the bottom.
These early treatment stations are also responsible for removing other “hunting products”.
Did you know that 50% of so-called non-dispersible materials in wastewater are paper towels from public toilets, followed by 25% baby wipes, then a mixture of condoms, cosmetic wipes, tampons and other items?
Finally, and after passing through the primary settling tanks, the wastewater continues its cleaning process via aeration basins, new settling tanks and, in some cases, tertiary treatment facilities where they are disinfected with chlorine and / or ultraviolet. (UV).
Ultimately, and in the most advanced wastewater treatment systems, we can get recycled water that can be used in agriculture or for human consumption.
However, no sewage system is perfect. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 27 percent of the world’s population (about 1.9 billion people) use private sanitation facilities connected to sewers from which wastewater is treated.
We have all made mistakes and we can all change our daily habits. Even if it takes time. Just think twice before flushing the toilet.
Remember that by adopting new behaviors, you are reducing the amount of toxic and potentially harmful objects and chemicals that interact with water and marine life.
Every time you flush these 20 items down the toilet, you are not only damaging the plumbing, but also polluting your local water resources.
Some of these are pretty obvious, but there are also a few that we thought were good to do but that should never get into the sewer system.
Have your children follow good bathroom practices. Avoid flushing the following items into the toilet:
- PAPER TOWELS
Surprised? Don’t be. Yes, they look and feel like toilet paper, but they should never use the toilet. Believe it or not, paper towels do not have the same characteristics as toilet paper and do not disintegrate easily in the sewers. - COSMETIC WIPES
Wet wipes are one of the worst problems in modern sanitation systems. They are responsible for half of the world’s blockages that lead to fat build-ups, also known as fatbergs. Cosmetic wipes do not dissolve in water and have a very negative impact on the wastewater treatment process. - BABY WIPES
They’re smooth, soft, and soft, but they don’t break down like toilet paper. And just because wipes are harmful to babies doesn’t mean they don’t harm the environment. Baby wipes are not decomposable, so they do not need to be rinsed. - CONDOMS
Not only is it disgusting because they end up in public waterways, but they are also non-biodegradable. Latex causes serious problems in the sewer system, so keep it private and throw it in the trash. - BUFFERS AND BUFFERS
The elimination of feminine products has always been a problem for women. But they are also a problem for plumbing as they can quickly clog pipes. Wrap your tampons or pads, put them in a small sanitary bag, and then throw them in the trash. - DENTAL WIRE
Dental floss is usually made of Teflon or nylon. When rinsed off, it mixes with wet wipes, paper towels, hair, and other items, creating huge balls that clog pumps and sewers. - CONTACT LENSES
Around 125 million people use contact lenses on a daily basis worldwide. As a result, billions of daily contacts go to