Products that seem flushable such as paper towels, disposable wipes, and used cooking grease can cause blockages in your sewer line to the grinder which can lead to a sewer back up into a customer’s home. These items can also interfere with the operation of the township’s grinder stations and even damage the grinder pumps. Even though a product may be small enough to be flushed, this does not mean it should be. These issues increase operations and maintenance cost for the township.
THINGS NEVER TO FLUSH:
Baby Wipes and Diapers (including those marked “flushable” or “disposable”): These highly absorbent synthetic materials don’t break down and can clog sewer systems.
Cotton Balls, Cosmetic Pads and Cotton Swabs, Disposable Toilet Brushes: These non-flushable items tend to gather in pipe bends causing blockages.
Dental Floss: This little string can cause havoc to plumbing and sewer systems.
Medications or Supplements: Wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to break down pharmaceuticals. Studies have shown the presence of medicines such as steroid hormones and antidepressants in wastewater effluent. Instead take them to the Lawrence Park Police Department.
Medical Supplies: Razors, bandages and hypodermic needles don’t degrade. The razor blades and needles also present a danger to employees who need to remove the items that clog the system.
Rubber: Items such as latex gloves and condoms are made of a material that is not intended to break down in liquid.
Feminine Hygiene Products (Sanitary Napkins, Tampons and Applicators): These products are designed to absorb liquids and swell. They clog pipes, get stuck in bends, and block sewer lines.
Fats, Oils, and Grease: These are liquids that turn solid when cooled, and this creates significant problems for public wastewater systems and drains in your home.
Cat Litter (including “flushable”): The absorbent properties of litter are designed to “clump” and will clog sewer systems.
Hair: Like dental floss, flushed hair can cause tangled blockages ensnaring everything that passes by.
Food Products (banana peels, apple cores, leftovers, etc.): These do not disintegrate and can cause blockages throughout the system.
Trash of any Kind (candy and other food wrappers, cigarette butts, rags, plastic bags, paper towels, tissues, facial wipes, baby wipes, mop heads): None of this is biodegradable.
Chemicals: Paint, automotive fluids, solvents and poisons are pollutants. Wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to eliminate toxic chemicals.
Heavy Metals: These pollutants include mercury, cadmium, arsenic, lithium batteries and lead, etc. Please dispose of any of these toxins properly to prevent harm to the environment and the potential for serious health risks.
Wastewater facilities that treat our raw sewage are indispensable services in modern life. Think twice about what is flushed down the toilet—for the sake of our sewer systems and wastewater treatment processes, and our environment.
Flush only toilet paper. Ignore the hype – don’t flush a wipe!