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In a report based on testing of 101 single-use wipes, 23 of which were labeled as 'flushable', not a single wipe successfully dispersed or fell apart in the sewer system test.
Testing was performed by the Ryerson's Flushability Lab.
Products which fail the test can clog or degrade household pipes and city sewer systems.
"This research confirms conclusively what those of us in the industry already knew. That single-use wipes, including cleansing and diaper wipes, cannot be safely flushed, even those labelled as 'flushable,'" said report lead Barry Orr, masters student in Environmental Applied Science and Management, and a 25-year veteran Sewer Outreach and Control Inspector with the City of London in Ontario, Canada.
Testing on each wipe was performed by simulating a typical residence's plumbing from toilet to sewer including typical bends and slope, water pressure, and urban infrastructure.
the Municipal Enforcement Sewer Use Group has estimated that $250 million is spent annually across Canada for operations and maintenance related to the removal of blockages from equipment, due to the flushing of wipes and other non-flushable materials. Many of these wipes also contain synthetic fibres, including plastics, which can make their way into waterways, harming water systems and wildlife.
Orr called for a standard legislated industry-wide definition for the term 'flushable' so that consumers could be informed and make appropriate decisions for their health and to avoid various harms being caused by the term's misleading use today.
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 11 2019, @06:21AM (12 children)
Just raise the stupid sewer fee if it's a problem. Somebody needs to get a Masters Degree in STFU.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 11 2019, @07:10AM (11 children)
Or we could help keep the bills low and reduce repairs simply by letting people know these aren't flushable.
Radical idea, I know. People seem content with lies, such as wipes are flushable, holistic medicines actually do something, or that there is an imaginary sky fairy watching them.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday April 11 2019, @08:17AM (5 children)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 11 2019, @11:17AM
Or we could insist on progress, and ignore people who say "new thing X" is not allowed.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 11 2019, @02:09PM
NO
we should let corporations lie about their products and their safety and get away with it--the stupid people will just do what they are told. telling them not to do something will cause them to burst because they won't have conveniences denied, so they will go out of their way to be willfully ignorant about any product, service or behavior that lets them get away with inconveniently bad things because a company said it was OK.
the profits will not be denied. little people dont deserve entitlements, but corporate people do.
(Score: 2) by Snow on Thursday April 11 2019, @03:12PM (2 children)
We must stop this scourge of non-flushable wipes with heavy-handed legislation or the socialists win.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday April 11 2019, @03:36PM (1 child)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by Snow on Thursday April 11 2019, @03:46PM
You are talking to Snow, not The Mighty Buzzard!
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 11 2019, @09:40AM (4 children)
Clearly they are flushable. Have you ever tried?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 11 2019, @12:15PM (1 child)
Just because it cleared the p-trap doesn't mean it's flushable. It can still clog plumbing, both in your home and in the sewer system. Do not flush them.
(Score: 2) by Mykl on Thursday April 11 2019, @11:38PM
I think the point GP was trying to make is that you sure can flush them, it's just that they don't dissolve once they have been flushed.
Kind of like saying that arsenic is edible. Sure, it will kill you afterward, but you _can_ eat it!
Personally, I'd love to have the manufacturers show how they tested their product to determine that it is 'flushable' and to inflict maximum penalties if it's shown that they lied to their customers.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday April 11 2019, @10:07PM (1 child)
AC: "Clearly Xs do Y"
Remind me why we should give any weight to your input? Are you one of the many overweight fatbergs in the sewer system that has mystically become sentient, and is demanding more material from which to grow?
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 12 2019, @12:01AM
Yeah, keep listening to people whose industry is too backwards to upgrade. Meanwhile, lots of people in my city use the wipes, and yet the sewer system works.