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‘Flushable’ Wipes – the marketing lie of the century

September 15, 2015

The newly toted flushable wet wipes may sound like a great idea, but plumbers everywhere will tell you that they aren’t what they say they are…

You may have seen the new ‘flushable’ wet wipes being promoted in Supermarkets. They seem like the perfect solution – a moist towlette that you can just flush straight down the drain – clean, and with no mess. WRONG! Very few actually dissolve, and most remain just as strong as cloth rags when they are flushed which makes them a hazard in your drains. They will block up your sewer pipes, get into the sewer mains, and cause a blocked drain Canberra which could have serious consequences for your home.

These affect not only your own household drains, but they also cause issues when they enter city sewer mains, and cost hard earned tax payer’s money when the council or government send their technicians to clear them. This is costing millions of dollars which could be better spent upgrading infrastructure or in other important fields like health and education.

Plumber using eel -cropped

The daily telegraph reported that in Sydney, over one million kilograms of wet wipes have been removed from the sewer over a two year period (and that’s only what they were able to take away!)

Let’s put that into perspective – If you laid those wipes end-to-end, they would reach from Sydney to Los Angeles AND BACK!

Icon Water (formerly ACTEW) is responsible for the management of Canberra’s sewer and water network, and have reported that Canberra is just as affected by this wipe pandemic. This is a major problem for the plumbing & water industry, and is something which is entirely avoidable if we all take a little care and remember to put wet wipes in the bin, not down the loo~

Remember,

  • 1. Flushable wipes are not actually flushable.
  • 2. Over 1 million KG of wipes were removed from Sydney’s sewer over 2 years
  • 3. Don’t put anything other than water and toilet paper down your drains

If you have a blocked drain Canberra, from wipes, tree roots, grease or are noticing that your fixtures are slow to drain, call us on 6288 5123 for a local drainage expert with experience and service you can trust. Alternatively, email us or contact us via our booking form here