Are you a smart flusher?

None of these are designed to break down in water. When flushed, they can accumulate in pipes, increasing the risk of blockages.  

Damage is cumulative. Even a single non-flushable item can begin to contribute to damage. Some people think one small non-flushable won’t cause much harm but if everyone in the community followed that thinking, it would become a big issue. Every flush matters, which is why practicing responsible flushing is so important to keeping our communities healthy.  

False: While wastewater treatment plants have effective filtration systems, not all non-flushable materials can be removed, causing pumps and machinery to be damaged or broken. Plus, items not meant to be flushed can start causing damage long before the pipes meet the plant — like in your own home or neighborhood. 

False: Always look at the wipes packaging for proper disposal instructions, like the Do Not Flush symbol. Biodegradable is not the same as flushable. 

Surprisingly, about 53% of the items causing clogs in a collection study commissioned by the Responsible Flushing Alliance were paper towels. Wipes labeled as Do Not Flush comprised 34% of the collection, the second largest category of non-flushable items recovered.  

If the wipes packaging is labeled as flushable, the wipes have gone through rigorous testing and are designed to break down in water similar to dry toilet paper. Flushable wipes are made from short, plant-based fibers and are used as a replacement for, or supplement to, dry toilet paper. Be sure to always follow disposal instructions on packaging. And if the wipes package has a Do Not Flush symbol, it is never flushable and should be disposed of in the trash.

You may not realize it, but everyone is impacted by clogs in our public infrastructure. A blockage or damage to wastewater equipment caused by improper flushing can impact entire communities based on the cost of the repair and the impact of the damage. It can also negatively impact our waterways and the health of communities.