Are “Flushable Wipes” Really Flushable?

The simple answer to the question above is NO!  Disposable items labeled as “flushable” such as “flushable wipes”, wet wipes, sanitary napkins, and/or paper towels cannot safely be flushed down the toilet. When these items are flushed down toilets into the sanitary sewer system, they contribute to many sewer blockages in the wastewater infrastructure. This leads to frequent and expensive repairs, which ultimately raise water/sewer bills for municipal residents.

If you use these products they can plug your homes sanitary pipes causing expensive plumbing bills to unplug your pipes.  Are you prepared to spend hundreds of dollars? 

If they don’t plug your pipes, they may cause damage to the municipal sanitary system if a lot of people use these products and flush them into the system. This can result in increased maintenance, equipment replacement and wastewater treatment costs.  Which can mean increased monthly water/sanitation utility fees to municipal residents.

Many commercial brands try to make a person believe that numerous items or products are “flushable” and will state this on the packaging. Wet wipes or flushable wipes claiming “safe for flushing” can and do cause serious damage to your home’s plumbing even before reaching the municipal sanitary sewer facilities. Once beyond your home’s plumbing, wipes and paper towels can get caught in lift stations and solid waste grinders intended to break down large waste and push it through the system to the wastewater treatment plant.

Should the wipes make it to the sewage treatment plant, the facilities could be overworked trying to process solid waste which does not break down in transit or at lift stations. The result of flushing these products could mean major wastewater treatment issues and impacts to the machinery processing inbound waste. The buildup of these “flushable items” reduces the productivity of the plant and results in a cost for removal and expensive pump and machinery repairs ranging into tens of thousands of dollars to the municipalities in the authority.  The cost of the repairs is ultimately funded by municipal taxpayers. By flushing any products other than toilet paper, the public not only causes inconveniences in services but also incurs very costly repairs to the system and treatment processes.

Please avoid flushing wipes and other non-biodegradable items such as tissues, paper towels, or “flushable wipes”.  If you do decide to use these products, consider throwing them in the trash or taking them to a Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) facility in your area. By following these recommendations, residents can help minimize the cost and environmental impact of clogged sewer systems.

Northwest Utilities Authority, which your community is a part of, is doing all it can to keep the costs of the wastewater treatment fees down.  We only ask that you do the same by flushing only the 3 – P’s; Toilet paper, pee and poop down your toilet.