WSSC Asks Public to Think Before Flushing

(Laurel, MD) – November 20, 2013: The toilet is not a trash can, and the only thing that should be flushed are pee, poop and toilet paper. That’s the message the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is driving home with the release of a video that stresses, Keep the Wipes Out of the Pipes. Pre-moistened bathroom wipes are labeled and marketed as “flushable,” but many are not and they are a major contributor to basement back-ups and sewer overflows that effect the environment and potentially the health of the public.

“In this country we not only take our wastewater systems for granted, but also abuse them by putting things down toilets that just don’t belong,” says Jerry Johnson, WSSC’s General Manager and CEO. “We need to educate people about what they can and can’t put down the toilet because they lead to backups that jeopardize the health of fellow citizens.”

Consumer Reports found that so-called flushable wipes were intact after 30 minutes in water, while toilet paper disintegrated within eight seconds. In Vancouver, Washington, wipes dyed by wastewater officials survived a one-mile journey through the sewer. 

Wastewater experts are trying to calculate the size and cost of the problem nationally. WSSC has spent more than $1 million dollars on new equipment to grind up wipes before they snarl pumps, but we need everyone to think before flushing. Wet wipes, baby wipes, feminine products, paper towels and cigarettes should go in a waste basket, never down the toilet.  

Simply put: flush pee, poop and paper only. Let’s keep the wipes out of the pipes!