I was surprised at not seeing addressed in the article the problem of throwing cat waste down the toilet.
"Actually, you should not flush cat feces down the toilet. Studies are showing that toxoplasmosis, a parasite found in cat feces, has infected marine mammals and otters. Toxoplasmosis cannot be destroyed by sewage treatment, and therefore escapes into our waterways, where crabs and starfish will feed on it, thus jeopardizing the health of other marine mammals who feed on the crabs and starfish. Toxoplasmosis can cause brain damage and death in sea otters. Most (if not all) litter manufacturers warn on their packaging not to flush feces or litter down the toilet, and that is the reason."
(from sfgate dot com)
I also read somewhere that flushed cat droppings were causing blindness in dolphins.
I once had a cat who, as a kitten, went blind from toxoplasmosis.
In addition, toxoplasmosis can cause serious damage to a human fetus, so pregnant women should either avoid cleaning the litter-box, or else use gloves and be very careful. (I have always had cats, and also have two 'normal' children.)
41
It is mystifying that anyone thought it was okay to flush any of these things to begin with.
52
It's a simple rule: nothing goes down the toilet except toilet paper (and the bodily functions that attend it).
32
Well it sounds like one major problem is the use of the term "flushable" in marketing and on packaging. How do we get companies to stop using this terminology? The FDA regulates tampons (which are medical devices), but not "wipes." Is any body regulating these non-medical consumer products?
55
I doubt that very many people have any knowledge of the problem that flushing these items cause. As a number of people suggested education/public service announcements are needed. This is something that should be taught in school.
46
Having lived with septic systems for years, I’m already trained!
24
I have been in the municipal waste business since 1978, and I am astonished at the attitude that toilets are to make things disappear. Moreover, they cannot imagine why the City charges to get rid of waste materials.
Toilets are for wasteWATER -- WATER is the important word. If it is not a body fluid or waste, don't put it into the system. The system is very good at what it is designed to do, but not good at disposing of fiber, plastic and solids. it is not designed to capture or treat drugs that pass through your body -- they move into our waterways and cause serious problems for our fish, frogs, toads, and insects....... and even for you. You get a bit of prozac overtime you drink water.
Please, please, think before you put anything in the toilet. Ask, "Do I want to drink this tomorrow?" The system can only treat and remove easily treatable body wastes. Thank you.
55
Please regularly feature this article as prominently as possible with supporting video as an invaluable public service report.
Most people do not have this very basic knowledge and regularly violate these simple rules leading to the damaging of our waterways, ecosystems and human populations!
Our wastewater treatment plants are not equipped to treat anything but human waste and toilet paper which are the only substances that will biodegrade!
Got it. Get it!
48
In college, I remember bumping into a plumber outside our dormitory. He said we were prolific in practicing safe sex.
15
'“As a society, I think we’ve become more germophobic,” she said, adding that there is a tendency to want to flush anything that has bodily fluids. But wastewater treatment plants are not designed to handle anything except for human waste and toilet paper, she said.'
So is the answer here to expect everyone in the world to change habits and not use clearly popular products (never going to happen) or is it to acknowledge that the needs of a moderate sewerage system are more complex in 2018 than they were in the 19th century when the sewers were built? What costs more: updating the system's design to be able to handle the wipes, tampons and condoms that people will always flush, or constantly unclogging the system with work crews under an ever-growing load of wet refuse? Let's do some real cost-benefit analysis here. Short of a South Park styled "TSA" (Toilet Safety Administration) being implemented, this stuff will continue to get flushed.
11
In the USA, we are fortunate to have an amazing sewage treatment program. The fact that we have toilets that flush our waste away, we have reliable plumbing, and our households have hot/cold running water in most areas should remind us to respect the systems that keep us healthy and disease free. Let’s not abuse our plumbing networks by thoughtlessly discarding items that degrade better in environmentally safe disposal systems.
60
@Peaceful Sun
So right! I've been to parts of Europe where public toilets have signs telling people to not flush anything, including toilet paper. We have to protect our environment and our pipes by being more conscientious. Ms. Caron, thanks for this educational article.
19
We had to pay A LOT to have a plumber remove a huge ugly nest of dental floss... It looks so harmless floating in the toilet but he said it's one of the worst culprits. And we've stopped using the garbage disposal. No problems.
22
I wish the government would require the manufacturers of disposable wipes to note on the label that they should not be flushed.
60
@Amy RaffenspergerThey should do it without needed a new regulation.
14
They should be banned if people, with the companies' encouragement, flush them.
6
I agree, but they are so far refusing t.
7
Except for adults who aren't able to use a toilet because of disabilities, flushable adult wipes are a need created when marketed as a alternative or supplement to toilet paper by large corporations.
21
I'm sure it's a pain for them.
I don't see the math being better by putting it into a wasteful plastic bag, having it picked up by a fume spewing truck, then sent to be buried in a landfill. They are much more efficiently set up to handle waste at the treatment plant.
2
@Mtnman1963 did you read the article? No , they are not set u[p to handle it, in fact it causes their waste treatment systems to break down and stop operating They result in large costs for down time and repair. That is why thee things need to be put in the trash, not down the toilet.
50
@Mtnman1963
As "Cambridgema" eloquently points out, the treatment plant is NOT "... more efficiently set up to handle waste" like wipes.
Furthermore, the place for paper and paper-like products IS a landfill, where in months bacteria in the earth quickly will turn them into "dirt".
And, since in your comment you refer to "wasteful plastic bag", put your paper NON-recyclables out in a PAPER bag (inside the trash can). That kind of waste actually is good for a landfill.
14
Wrong! Garbage dumps r not composting stations. In fact, we r better off this stuff does NOT decompose because it leeches all sorts of toxins.
4
As someone who works in the field of pretreatment, this article touches on a big problem for the municipal entity I work for. Baby wipes, rags, tampons etc. can clog pipes, yes, but they also bind up and break the pumps at the pump stations that move the wastewater from parts of town towards the treatment plants. These things cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace, and when they break down, the overflow of waste has to go somewhere and often that’s backwards into homes/businesses or even drainage ditches. Toilets are not trashcans. Our biggest problem is educating the public and FUNDING that education. As a minion, I can’t make any of those decisions, but I’d like to see billboards, social media posts, inserts in water bills, school outreach among other things. It would reduce costs in the long run.
91
What about all the stuff we stick in our garbage disposals? It doesn't have to go in the toilet to end up at the sewage plant.
15
Garbage disposals r evil! They should be totally banned.
12
Will state the obvious. The toilet is NOT a waste bin. In drought-stricken California, we were made aware of how precious each flush is given its water consumption. Every flush can use from 7+ to 1+ gallons per flush ( AKA GPF).
So no contacts, tissues, hair or anything other than toilet matters.
17
great info!! it would be terrific to do a similar article on what's flushable for people with septic systems!
10
@bernie Nothing lol! Even too much human waste might overwhelm it. Then there is the problem of replacing the drain field when it no longer can do its job.
8
In Greece no one flushes paper down the toilet. All used t.p.is placed in the little covered basket next to the commode. Plumbing pipes are too narrow is what I have always been told by my Greek relatives. Never a problem with the plumbing, just make sure the basket is emptied daily.
15
@Denise Arambadjis
That is how it is much of Brazil too. When we moved back to the states when I was little, I remember going #2 at my grandparents house and them being horrified that I didn't flush the used TP and instead put it in the waste basket next to the toilet. Their reaction still makes me laugh all these years later.
9
Great article!
...
Though holy cow, do people really flush cat litter? You know, the stuff designed to clump together when liquid hits it? Even the non-clumping stuff does a little! Eesh...
21
Although I agree with the advice to not flush medications down the toilet, it doesn't even come close to addressing the problem. Anyone who takes medication excretes the byproducts. Many of the byproducts are still biologically active compounds. Purification of water either at the home level (eg, a reverse osmosis unit) or at the water district level is the only way to keep medication out of the water supply.
18
We need public service announcements to educate citizens about their bad habits, obliviousness and destruction of the sewer system and Mother Earth.
Another epic failure of America's for-profit government flushing the nation down a Trumpian Toilet.
38
@Socrates
This does not have anything to do with profits that I can see. People choose to buy these products, and people are responsible for disposing of them properly. I think paranoia about landfills and trash has driven many people to pursue silly alternatives, such as paper grocery bags or flushing something instead of throwing it out.
3
Looking at this problem another way, It might be time to update and redesign our antiquated waste treatment systems to accommodate the needs of 21st century society. The fed will fund up to 85% of any "shovel-ready" municipal project, and improved wastewater treatment would be of more public benefit than the currently popular "street-beautification/public-space" scam that cash-strapped cities are currently utilizing.
11
@Joseph Overton
This may be true, but it is a lot easier to assess whether a park has been built or a tree planted than if wastewater treatment has been made persistently more robust for the next few decades. The answer may be that local governments cannot rely that major works such as new water systems can be accomplished without massive excess costs, delays and corner-cutting.
When voters distrust the government, government distrusts contractors, and both are often correct in doing so, the ranking of potential public investments needs to reflect this.
@Joseph Overton Of course you are right. We have a 19th century system trying to process the waste products of a 21st century population. I might draw the line at kitty litter, but a system that cannot handle wipes is just not ready for prime time.
10
@Marc Dollinger
You've got the general idea, but let me re-phrase:
We have a 21st century population trying to force a 19th century system to handle "stuff" it was NOT designed to handle.
You get diseases like dysentery and cholera if you don't treat human waste so that HAS to be handled -- anything else in the sewer waste stream is superfluous.
Is it necessary (or even just desirable) to be able to flush wipes, and other products described in the article? OK, HOW desirable, at what cost?
Two scenarios:
(1) Doing it with today's system will cause higher costs of operation, costs of repair, and capital costs to replace things like pumps and some 19th century pipes. (Which is what the article pointed out)
(2) Design and build and PAY for a NEW system to handle stuff you'd LIKE to flush.
OR
Use today's wastewater system that keeps us disease-free and appropriately send wipes, etc., to the landfill where ground bacteria disposes of them rapidly.
It our choice, ... and our wallets.
9
Thank you for the informative article.
Could you please do something similar for recycling and composing....specific to Nyc?
Plastics really throw me.. which # can recycled and which not? Can I put wine corks and paper towels in the compost? Should I put the butter wax paper In the compost? What about cartons with coating? Paper or plastic?
Just a few of my questions...
Thank you!
27
San Francisco’s sewer system used to — as recently as the 1990s — mix storm drain effluent with septic waste. So when the rain poured down and the treatment plant was overwhelmed, all that mess was dumped directly into the ocean, unfiltered. Even many days after a storm, if you walked the beach below (for readers who know the City) Ft. Funston, you would be stepping over a tideline of tampons, condoms, the plastic wrappers for both products, plastic tampon applicators, dental floss tied up with God knows what, plastic swabs, diapers and hypodermic needles. And scads of cigarette filters. Sometimes you’d see medical waste like colostomy bags on the beach. Someone taking advantage of the situation to dump illegally? Maybe.
These days some of my local beaches are still get littered with hypodermic needles after big storms, but many of these have washed down our rivers and creeks, as well as through the storm drains (which bypass the treatment plant). We have a huge heroin problem here.
Decades of walking the beach in all weather have made me all too aware of what goes into our coastal waters. And I’ve lived in a home with a percolating septic system for long enough that I am conditioned to put nothing down the pipes that can’t be broken down by bacteria.
19
Alas, all the good intentions (or the laws) in this world will never solve this problem. What people decide to chuck down their private commodes can never be controlled. The socially minded people will usually do the right thing, but the ignorant, careless and anti-social people of the world will persist in their behavior.
14
But certainly informing people will help -- there's a lot about this that people just don't know.
12
The article covers kitty litter (Can you imagine? ...Definitely DO NOT FLUSH!) - but what about our canine friends? A medium size dog (25-30 lbs.) could produce some 250-300 pounds of fecal matter a year! Well, it is suggested that one should "Flush your pet's waste down the toilet, so it can be treated at a sewage treatment plant." (https://cfpub.epa.gov/npstbx/files/KSMO_PetWaste.pdf) I will hasten to add that dog owners NOT throw all types of doggie pickup bags down the drain; water soluble types like those made from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) can be used.
Do the research, do the right thing...for Spot, the kids, the environment, for all!
10
Recent research on human behavior indicates that we may well respond different than expected to "hundreds of thousands are doing it wrong ". The thought of "if they get away with it, why shouldn't I ?" can be quite powerful. Conversely, we (yes, I very much include myself here) usually respond well to appeals to our direct self-interest. So, here goes: If you flush dental floss, kitty litter, tampons etc. down the toilet, you really increase the risk that your toilet will back up on you. And, as we know, that will probably happen at 8 PM on a Sunday, and good luck getting a plumber to come to your house before Monday. So, go with the flow, keep your plumbing regular, and put trash in the trash can.
34
Can we have a realistic talk about the difficulties in disposing tampons in the trash? When I was menstruating I had very heavy periods. For me to have disposed of tampons in the trash would have been a bloody mess. I eventually switched to pads as it was healthier for me, but they are problematic too, and I wouldn't expect everyone to follow suit. If we are to dispose of tampons in the trash then tampon makers can figure out a way for us to dispose of these hygienically.
25
@Pamela: This is exactly why I use a menstrual cup. It takes some getting used to, but it's a great alternative to tampons and pads for many women.
8
Hair! My plumber friend told me years ago that hair is as bad as floss. Don't put it in the toilet.
14
@pollyb1 - If you shower and do not have a hair trap in place, the drain trap will be your default, as your plumber can show you the next time he/she comes over to clear a clog. People with homes without water filters are also going to find their street service receives, clay, mold, and other particulate from pipe breaks and street repair. And, the house service should consist of screens, traps, clean out points for maintenance and then a whole system filter if you want your pipes to last longer before corroding.
8
In Thailand, you can't flush anything-- including toilet paper. There is a small bin next to every toilet. Yes, it's gross, but it's a small price to pay for inhabiting the planet.
As for those who require wipes, Thailand has the answer to that too: the bum gun. It's a small spray hose, like the kind on kitchen sinks, that leave you much cleaner than ten wipes could.
We could learn a thing or two from other countries.
37
@Abby As far as I know, wipes in the U.S. are mainly used for babies and small children. Perhaps also incapacitated adults? Not sure how the babies would feel about a bum gun.
My boss buys wipes by the carton from Costco for his use. No babies anywhere in sight. A bum gun or a bidet is a good idea for adult who seemingly can't get clean without wipes.
5
@Abby the "bum gun" as you call it (I prefer the term "butt hose" is a life changer. I have Indian in-laws, and after visiting that fine country (which, by the way, has a mix of the best and worst when it comes to sanitation and personal hygiene) for my 2nd visit, I came home and immediately bought a relatively cheap hose attachment for the toilet.
We in the West frequently think we are at the pinnacle of invention and civilization, but the trusty butt hose, used in so many places around the world, is light years better than scraping your unmentionables with dry paper products. I recommend them universally.
9
Welcome to my landlord hell. We’ve had several feminine-hygiene product plumbing clogs despite specifically asking tenants to not flush these items. America, where we make unpleasant things “disappear” down the porcelain throne.
33
The more articles about this the better we are. The world has got to move past single use plastic.
12
Women: do your part against flushed waste, switch to a menstrual cup!
In addition to the ecological benefit, there is monetary benefit too: $30 up-front cost but over one hundred$$ in savings in the first year alone.
15
@Ella Washington Yeah, ideally, howver for women who have 7 day very heavy periods, cups are not practical or healthy.
5
Thank you for this article that is intended to help preserve safe water through education!
17
Note that wastewater also includes gray water - from showers/sinks/dishwashers/washing machines. And my understanding also is that some water water treatment plants, like the one in nearby Boston, is able to thermally oxidize (ie. burn) some of the waste sludge. So I put stuff down the toilet that can be burned (like facial tissues) as the more burning the waste water plant can do, the lower its energy bills (I am assuming the burning takes place in a manner which minimizes emissions).
My question is: when wastewater burning is in the equation, do all the recommendations from this article still apply?
5
Yes, these recommendations apply! Sludge is the remains of human waste after settling and biologic digestion. It should not contain all this other trash, which impedes bacterial digestion of organics. All this trash will plug up sewer mains and treatment plants, especially in cities with older infrastructure.
13
@bob, the problem with facial tissue (and paper towels and “dispisible” wipes) is that they clog pipes. They can clog your household plumbing, too, but what matters to the general population is that the clog sewers and the filtering systems at treatment plants.
10
@Passion for Peaches I have a hard time believe that flushed facial tissue is a big problem for sewers when I continue to sneeze and blow straight throw name-brand tissues constantly. It doesn't break down instantly in water like TP, but still breaks down pretty fast.
1
This article caused me to do some research into alternatives to flushable(not) wipes, because, yes, some of us do have medical conditions that make their use beneficial. And I found that there are moisturizers to be used with toilet paper that I hope will solve the problem. Thank you for this article. I had no idea.
17
The solution to many of these problems is to not use so much plastic. Why does someone need a single-use plastic fiber wipe in the first place?
I admit I used them when my kid was in diapers, and I was wrong (I should have used the washable diapers, too). I used them without question because they were sold as the way that baby waste is dealt with.
Perhaps we need to stop requiring consumers to make an informed environmental decision with every product they buy and make producers of these wasteful products clean them up. Then they will have to price the disposal into the product.
19
also re this quote:
"wastewater treatment plants are not designed to handle anything except for human waste and toilet paper"
time to start redesigning of treatment plants?
10
@FCarroll My thoughts too. The problems obviously need to be attacked from both ends. Why wastewater treatment plants have been designed in a way that causes them not to be able to face the challenges of modern use indicate a need for redesign. When deciding between better engineering, or the forced behavior change of the masses, I will bet on better engineering as the workable solution every day.
2
@FCarroll
Nope, it is time to educate the consumer to quit buying everything on the shelf at the grocery store. There are better alternatives, and you may not need anything else, at all.
3
What a missed opportunity, especially in this time of high rates of deaths from opioids, to not have mentioned that there are some drugs--a very small list--that are so dangerous to those who the drugs were not prescribed to, they should be flushed unless a drug take-back option if readily available. See http://fda.gov/drugdisposal for more info.
2
@Jim oops that's http://www.fda.gov/drugdisposal
3
@Jim: Most sheriff's departments offer at least one site where unused drugs can be dropped for incineration, but another option is to mix the pills with something gross like used cat litter before disposing of them in the garbage.
3
@Allison Agreed, many more take back options now. For this small list of drugs though, putting in trash, even if mixed with gross stuff, won't stop the truly addicted or even some small kids. Many in both groups have died from drugs in trash.
1
What about freezer pack gel for all of those frozen food packs from Blue Apron, HelloFresh, and others? Hello Fresh even encourages users to flush the gel from the packs. But I would be really curious as to what sewage companies think of that practice.
32
I quit Blue Apron because of all of the packaging. They really expected me to flush the gel!?
5
Having lived with “delicate” plumbing in an old house growing up and then on a boat with “marine” toilets, I say to everyone, “don’t put anything into the toilet that you haven’t eaten first!
42
We need legislation that makes labeling products 'flushable' illegal.
63
I must ask a question not brought up in the article, the video, not the comments from readers. WHERE, exactly, is one to put used wipes while one sits on the toilet? Where? A trash can near the bathroom sink? I don't think so, I cannot imagine a household with a container of used wipes sitting around, and if you can, then you must have a poor sense of smell. Not to mention the visual implications by anyone or everyone who will come in contact with 'used wipes'. Address this issue please.
10
@David: I have a small trash can, with lid, by the toilet bowl. And that's worked well for many years. Also, I equipped all my toilets with bidet, so the wipes are used very occasionally.
3
@David: Expensive but worth it solution 1: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/technology/personaltech/electronic-bi...
Super cheap solution 2. MacGyver your own fully degradable wet wipe using a wad of toilet paper and a water filled spray bottle. Easy peasy.
1
@David
haha
In much of the third world their sewer systems can't handle normal toilet paper, so people (including state dept peeps overseas) have to put the used paper into a bin next to the toilet. So, yeah, even worse than what you were imagining for just the wipes.
4
Ah, we need a good education. That is our largest problem. Then we wouldn't be so inclined to believe ads. I must say, things are better than they were when all sea vessels dumped their waste in the ocean and it all washed in on the coast. I recall a beach littered with condoms that my aunt referred to as "fish tongues" to we young children.
12
@heysus, boats still dump sewage. I took a high-end, small-boat cruise, on a boat that was touted as “green” in all practices. I noticed, during the trip, that detergent suds would appear off the side of the boat after dinner service. Hmm. When questioned about the general sewage handling, the ship’s engineer admitted that it was “dumped overboard” when they were outside of the allowable distance from shore. The thing is, this was a coastal cruise. We were never far enough from shore for the dump to be legal. I wrote to the company about this and they ignored my letter.
16
@Passion for Peaches
I agree this still happens but it is not washed on the public beaches as much. I'm not sure this will ever be resolved. We simply have no regard for nature.
4
I cannot count the number of times I've entered a women's restroom and not found a trash receptacle in the stall. Having one (with a step-to-raise lid, so that one doesn't have to touch it) should be mandatory in all toilets.
I'd also like to hear more about what shouldn't be put down the sink/run through the disposal, beyond the standard "grease" advice.
16
My plumber’s response when I asked what was okay to put down the disposal - “Nothing,” adding “Plumbers love them.”
8
@H.L. My practice is to never intentionally put anything down the disposal. That way, the only thing that goes through it is small bits that are on the dishes when I was them. I run it frequently and have never had a clog
7
Thank you for addressing this important but seldom discussed topic. Many of us who are fortunate enough to have access to the less than 1% of the water on earth that is both easy to access and potable likely just need information like this to be motivated to make these daily choices. To really make it unforgettable, a visit to your local water treatment plant will make it hard to deny what happens at the other end of your pipes while you are in the privacy of your own bathroom deciding what to flush. Inspired readers can contact their local water treatment plant to schedule a tour for their family and friends or schedule a field trip for the young people in their lives. The free tours we have brought our kids on have all been fascinating and inspiring.
25
Worked on boats a bit in years past where plumbing is hard to access. Sign in the head said “aside from TP don’t flush anything unless you’ve eaten it first”
20
Unfortunately there is insufficient public awareness of this problem. There needs to be more public education. Just as we are learning to recycle, we must also be taught to flush no more than bodily waste and toilet paper down the drain. This article in the NYT is not sufficient public education.
44
@RLW I totally agree! I've been using tampons for decades and had no idea that they shouldn't be flushed. And I'm someone interested enough that I bothered to read this article... as you point out, most people will not read it. It would be so easy to do some sort of public campaign, billboards and whatnot, that would highlight the most commonly flushed things that shouldn't be, and that would reach a lot more people.
16
Put a sign on all drains and toilets - be specific.. Remind your kids regularly. Guests need to be reminded of the policy. AND, of course, NO drugs. Where exactly do the "flushers" think this stuff goes??
19
In my youth, what now are called "sewer lillies," when found in costal waters were known as "Coney Island whitefish."
11
I never flushed tampons, but now, I don't flush wipes. What's the big deal? This is the smallest effort towards cleaning up our water. 75% of Americans already don't recycle, and those who do, recycle improperly. Why are Americans so lazy and unconcerned about the future?
60
@ChesBay, why “Americans”? This is a global problem.
6
@ChesBay. It's an excellent question. I really don't know the answer. I imagine Americans are simply spoiled - they can rely on their trash being picked up, on indoor plumbing. They don't have to think about how things work. Of course I am American too and I don't think that I had any special education growing up, but I still think about how things work and care about my impact. I don't know why this message doesn't seem to get across to so many people. Maybe people are too unhealthy to care.
2
“Molly’s toilet resembled one of those baking-soda-and-vinegar volcanoes the dumb kids in middle school made every year for science fairs.”
Nice dash of elitist snobbery.
24
@ES There is an episode "Topsy" of Bob's Burgers, an animated family show on FOX, where a substitute teacher takes over responsibility for the school's science fair and has only one rule for projects: no volcanos! It's actually hilarious and delves into the history of Thomas Edison. I highly recommend it.
2
A big culprit is low-flow toilets.
Sewer systems need water to run through the pipes to carry debris away. A lot of water.
Flush many times. Water is cheaper than calling a plumber.
8
No, it's not. The problem is flushing things that the sewer or wastewater treatment systems aren't designed for. The only things they are designed for are water, human waste and standard toilet paper. Adding more water to wipes, plastics etc. does not fix the problem.
30
@George Orwell That might solve the problem in terms of clogs in individual buildings' plumbing, but it wouldn't touch the issues about contamination of the water supply, like with medications.
18
@George Orwell, during the California drought, some of the worst-hit areas had some very stinky treatment plants because septic waste was not coming in with enough water to dilute it.
6
In our majority Hispanic community, it is common practice to not put anything other than human waste into the toilet. There is always a container for paper waste sitting next to the toilet.
I saw a sign with a similar theme in a saiboat - 'Don't put anything in the head (toilet) that you didn't put in your mouth first..."
36
@RJ I travel to Mexico every year for extended trips where no one flushes toilet paper down the toilet, there is always a covered container which I call the diaper pail situated next to the toilet, and it is no big deal to adjust to not putting paper in the sewage system. I daresay Mexico saves significant money by limiting what can be dumped in toilets.
4
“Molly’s toilet resembled one of those baking-soda-and-vinegar volcanoes the dumb kids in middle school made every year for science fairs.”
Dumb kids?
Offensive!!!
28
I found the mental picture hilarious. I'm sure the author meant no disrespect.
1
@Nycynintx
Actually, all kids love to make those volcanoes!
6
Visiting Vienna, Austria some years back I observed a "street person" polish off a bottle of beer then dutifully walk to the nearest recycling bin to dispose of the bottle.
I compare that memory to the utter disregard much of our American society has for the functioning of our infrastructure, including trash removal and recycling.
I recently changed locations and moved into an apartment building. The large recycling bin in the back of the building, shared by all, is generally 70% full of non-recyclable refuse: pizza boxes covered in cheese and grease, all manner of plastic detritus (coat hangers, etc.), the occasional toaster and baby stroller.
It amazes me to see, in hospitals, businesses, anywhere, people turn water faucets on full-blast and leave them running for minutes even before they begin using the sink.
What will it take for us to realize our resources are precious? And that there's a certain grace in being mindful of them?
120
@day owl When I was a student in Prague, the local 'street person' would drink a 7 crown bottle of bear, return the bottle to the corner store for the 5 crown deposit, and use it to purchase another drink. There were also incredible mosaic cobblestone sidewalks and very little litter. There were giant recycling dumpsters placed around the neighborhood. They were ugly, but everybody recycled. They whole way European cities deals with trash collection is very different from the states.
Also, one quibble about using faucets. Water is a fully renewable resource. There is no such thing as wasting water unless you are in drought. In New York City you better believe I let the water run for a few minutes because a) the hot water takes forever, and b) the pipes in my building are a hundred years old. Who knows what they are made of? It's good practice to flush the pipes (especially in the morning) to get fresh water all the way from the mains before drinking it. At work, the bathroom faucets are all sensor-activated so it's not an issue.
3
Every schoolkid in the U.S. should be required to take a tour of their local wastewater treatment plant before they graduate from high school.
People have zero understanding of the actual cost to our society of our daily bodily functions. The ability to flush away the unpleasantness without contaminating our lakes, streams, rivers and oceans is a freedom that we have in the U.S. that still does not exist in many places in the world. No one should take it for granted.
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@Paul We did just that! 8th Grade. Earth Science. Many years ago. Seeing the effluent go into the Hudson, we respected that the output had a lot to do with the input, which people can easily control at home.
6
Just more evidence that there are 1) too many people, that 2) we are lazy and unable to think ahead in order to consider that the smallest action we take could have big implications and 3) those stories my grandmother told me of boiling rags to use again as sanitary napkins now seem positively ecologically ahead of their time.
Perhaps we will be forced to break up with plastics and laboratory-created materials and rekindle our older love affair with glass and natural fabrics.
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Yes, too many people! Anywhere nice u go, there r too many people. The earth cannot handle all their needs!
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After flushing wipes that had packaging that assured me they were safe to for the sewage system I had to call the plumber. Yes. I should have known better but I believed the ad. After researching the problem and realizing the packaging was untrue I placed an irate call to the company. They paid for the plumbing bill with no questions asked. I can only assume that the company is well aware of this error but chooses to put out the product anyway. Consumers need to call out companies that put bad products with false claims on the market.
Of course I’m partly to blame for believing the packaging. As an adult my theme has become....You knew better but you did it anyway.
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You are not the only one. I believed the packaging too, and paid a big plumbing bill as well.
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@Llewis. Your experience getting your plumbing bill reimbursed is interesting. I wonder why municipal wastewater departments have not banded together to sue the makers of wipes, etc, to reimburse the costs they have incurred due to false claims of product "flushability", rather than just passing that cost to us via taxes or sewerage bills?
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@Llewis
What's the name of the "company"? Is this information classified Top Secret"?
Sounds like the usual rants against unnamed politicians.
1
Huge problems lurk here. I wipe up and use paper to absorb as much paint as I can from my brushes and knives but some must be washed off. Residuals get flushed along with lots of soapy water, hoping to dilute as much as possible.
Then there are the many body products made from the same ingredients as our drugs and paint, washed off daily and down the drain.
Maybe we need a ten million year storage and seepage for the waste water, give it some eons to break everything down... and the we can do it all over again.
And yes, we do need unclogging from time to time. Life isn't without less than fully resolved problems. Water is a big one.
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We need more articles like this to educate the public about what happens when you flush things, recycle plastic, recycle paper, throw away plastic, toss trash into the recycling stream, etc. My first real job was in an environmental safety lab and it's sad to see that over 30 years later the same non-biodegradable items are still being put into the waste water treatment facilities.
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At no point in my life have i even considered flushing any of these things. what is wrong with some people. who flushes condoms? thats just gross!
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