Be mindful of what youre flushing down toilet

By By Craig Scott and Lauren SalbergJanuary 9, 2015 12:00 am

Toilets and sewer systems are designed to transport and dispose of specific materials. The pipes that connect your home to the sewer or a septic system are only wide enough to transport three things: water, toilet paper and human waste.

When other materials are flushed down the drain, they can get stuck and cause damage from clogged drains to sewer backups and overflows; and these materials can create maintenance challenges for pumping out septic tanks.

Sewer back-ups are not only smelly; they can damage homes and businesses resulting in expensive repairs. If a spill leaks into the environment, the negative effects can be extensive. All these complications result in damaged systems, which increase the citys sewer maintenance, repair costs and your sewer bill.

Recently, the prime culprits in clogging sewer systems have been flushable products. Contrary to their name, these products should not be flushed, as they do not degrade as fast or as easily as toilet paper. The only truly flushable item is toilet paper, which readily disintegrates in water, making it easy to travel through sewer drains. Currently, there are no state or federal standards for flushable products, so products labeled flushable or septic safe have no regulated definitions.

Additionally, disposing of chemical products through the toilet leads to dissolved chemicals traveling through the sewer system and into aquatic environments, where they can pollute and disrupt these ecosystems.

Items that should never be flushed include:

Flushable items (cleaning wipes, toilet bowl scrub pads, disposable mops, diapers);

Tampons, tampon applicators, sanitary napkins, condoms;

Medications, vitamins and supplements;

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Be mindful of what youre flushing down toilet