This past year marks another period of significant progress for the Responsible Flushing Alliance as we continued our mission to empower communities and protect our infrastructure by helping people flush smarter.
Following the strategic evolution we initiated last year, our 2025 efforts doubled down on initiatives designed to fundamentally alter consumer habits and foster lasting, positive change. While increasing familiarity with the Do Not Flush symbol remains crucial, we firmly believe that true impact lies in shifting behavior at the household level. We are thrilled to report that our subsequent data has continued to trend positively, demonstrating that our educational initiatives are indeed increasing awareness and influencing behavioral change.
We have been tracking consumer attitudes and knowledge related to smart flushing practices since 2021 via annual surveys commissioned through Drive Research. We now have 5 years of data for California residents, as well as a year and a half of full national data.
For the overall U.S. population, between March 2024 and October 2025, we observed significant improvements. Nationally, familiarity with the Do Not Flush symbol rose to 81%, and the percentage of individuals reporting that they had flushed a non-flushable item showed a positive decline, from 53% to 50%. This growing awareness was also reflected in an enhanced recall of the Do Not Flush symbol appearing on product packaging for both baby wipes and disinfecting/household cleaning wipes. Not bad for nearly 2 years!
In California, the long-term impact of our work is even more pronounced when comparing 2021 baseline data to 2025. Over this period, Californians demonstrated a substantial surge in familiarity with the symbol, increasing an impressive 13 points from 69% to 82%. The proportion of Californians admitting to flushing non-flushable items saw a significant decrease of 9 points, falling from 58% to 49%, signaling tangible behavioral change. Like national trends, there was a marked improvement in the recall of the Do Not Flush symbol on key product categories like baby wipes and disinfecting/household cleaning wipes.
Our flagship initiative, Flush Smart Month, continued its vital mission in 2025, leveraging the continued success of short-form video content and creativity to engage audiences and keep smart flushing in the cultural narrative. A standout effort this year was our innovative Potty Training for Grown-Ups influencer campaign.
Based on insights that households with children are 60% more likely to flush non-flushable items, this campaign aimed to powerfully remind parents to “only flush the flushable.” Through clever “toilet tunes” by comedic musicians and engaging “toddler teachers” where children humorously educated adults, we achieved significant amplification and authentic credibility, leading to over 5.2 million video views and an impressive 552% increase in 15-second video retention on Meta.
Beyond these impactful campaigns, we empowered our partners with comprehensive toolkits, effectively reached industry leaders through targeted paid media and a successful LinkedIn campaign, and proactively supported the implementation of Michigan’s proper labeling law for non-flushable wipes, in partnership with the Michigan Water Environment Association. Our collaborative blog posts and new educational materials further extended our reach and impact.
The results detailed throughout this update, from increased awareness to tangible shifts in behavior, underscore the effectiveness of our evolving, dynamic approach. The Responsible Flushing Alliance remains dedicated to building this momentum, developing innovative and culturally relevant campaigns that will continue to protect our wastewater infrastructure for generations to come.
Sincerely,
Lara Wyss
President, Responsible Flushing Alliance