Wet Wipes Causing Havoc in Water Systems

Wetwipes causing havoc in Australia's sewage and water systems

Australians are flushing thousands of kilograms of incorrectly labelled wet wipes down their toilets every year, causing havocin the country's water and sewage systems.

Wet wipes, originally used for cleaning babies, have grown in popularity in recent years and are increasingly marketed as a replacement for toilet paper.

Many products are advertised as being "flushable", which the country's peak water industry body, the Water Services Association of Australia, says is wrong.

"They're not really flushable," WSAA executive director Adam Lovell said.

"We know 'flushable' wipes, despite what the manufacturers may claim, do not break down by the time they reach sewer infrastructure."

Mr Lovell said the wipes caused blockages, which were expensive and disruptive to remove, and posed an environmental risk by causing sewerage overflows.

Wet wipes were also disrupting the production of biogas, which had been adopted at most major sewage plants.

Mr Lovell said Sydney Water had removed about 1 million kilograms of wet wipes from its wastewater systems over the past two years, suggesting millions of kilograms were being flushed nationwide every year.

Mr Lovell said labelling on products needed to be consistent and accurate and that people should be encouraged to put wet wipes in the rubbish, not the toilet.

Pat McCafferty, managing director of Melbourne's largest water retailer, Yarra Valley Water, said more than 4000 kilograms of wet wipes were removed from the retailer's network every fortnight.

Mr McCafferty said some blockages could cost up to $1000 to clear and that Yarra Valley Water was forced to invest in new technology that "munched" the wipes to help avoid blockages.

Source: The Age

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• Pollution
• Sewage