Wet wipes block pipes

Published on 11 December 2023

Wet wipes may have ‘flushable’ on the packaging, but these disposable cloths create a world of pain in sewer systems, causing expensive - and disgusting - blockages at our pump stations.

Toilets and their accompanying septic or sewer systems are designed to receive the Three Ps: pee, poo and toilet paper.

Anything else, such as cotton buds, sanitary products, and wet wipes will create blockages further down the chain, and wet wipes are the worst offenders, causing 75% of all sewer blockages.

Wet wipes are not just a problem in urban sewer systems but are also coming from rural properties with on-site septic systems.

When liquid waste transporters pump out an on-site septic tank, that waste is transported to one of our sewerage treatment plants. All of the wet wipes have to be manually removed from that liquid waste, and then transported to one of our waste transfer stations.

As you can imagine, that is a uniquely unpleasant task, and it adds additional costs to what we’re already spending.

Some problems in the world are hard to solve, but in this case, every individual can choose how they dispose of their household waste – bin your wipes, and flush only pee, poo and paper.

For more information on what can and can’t be flushed down the toilet or put down the drain visit: ksc.pub/wetwipes