Council would like to remind all residents and businesses that items such as baby wipes, wet wipes and paper towel or anything similar are not suitable to flush down toilets or put into the sewerage system. They should be disposed of in the general garbage system.
These products can cause failures such as sewerage overflows and breaks within Council's sewerage network, which can effect community health and cause environmental issues.
Blockages and damage can occur within household and business plumbing if these products are flushed. This leads to increased maintenance costs and damage to these private drainage systems.
The 2 main causes of blocked pipes are:
- flushing wet wipes, cotton buds, sanitary products and other rubbish down the toilet
- putting cooking fats, oils, grease and food scraps down the sink.
While some brands of wet wipes might say that they're flushable, they're actually not. They create up to 75% of all blockages. When household waste gets flushed down the toilet, it creates a clump that eventually blocks drains and clogs wastewater pipes.
