Personal protective equipment clogging local sewage system
Metro Vancouver’s sewage treatment plants are reporting an increase in personal protective equipment being flushed down the toilet and clogging up the sewage system.
Disposable protective equipment, including masks, gloves and antibacterial wipes are damaging the equipment and putting workers at risk, says Jerry Dobrovolny, chief administrative officer for Metro.
Dobrovolny says disposable masks and gloves made from polypropylene also cause problems as they break down and send micro plastics into rivers and the ocean.
Pandemic-related items are adding to the usual problem of residents flushing disposable baby wipes, something the region recently launched a campaign about to educate people on the damage they can do to the sewage system.
Metro doesn’t have data to show just how much protective equipment, known as PPE, is being flushed, but Dobrovolny said workers from all five of the region’s sewage treatment plants are seeing an uptick in masks and gloves coming through the pipes.
“We are seeing a boost, more in the sewer system,” he said Wednesday. “When you go into the store you still see the shelves are bare for the Clorox wipes and that is a pretty good indicator. And now we are starting to see more damage in our pumps and in our equipment. It’s just starting and that’s why we are concerned. We are seeing higher volumes with the extra PPE.”
Dobrovolny said while it may be surprising that someone would flush a mask or gloves down a toilet, he thinks it comes down to a lack of understanding about how the sewage system works.
“I think some people just think it’s magic. You drop it in the toilet and pull the lever and it’s gone and you never have to worry about it. Well, I just want them to understand that that’s not the case. It goes into a complicated system that covers the whole region.
“It’s like with prescription drugs — if you flush those that go into the Fraser River, one of the greatest salmon producing rivers in the world, and the Salish Sea which has orcas that are struggling ... what you flush down the toilet affects them.”
With the PPE and wipes, those are clogging and breaking our pumps and it means Metro staff have to go in there and fix the problems more frequently and it puts staff at risk because they’re dealing with potentially infected material, he added.
Metro is urging people to dispose of PPE properly, which means putting it in the garbage. Those who are sick are asked to double bag PPE before putting it in a garbage bag.
“If you cross-contaminate and put it into the liquid waste stream then there is damage done to the equipment and we have to filter it out with a screen. I think the more people understand about how it all works the more they won’t get it wrong,” said Dobrovolny.
The problem is happening elsewhere as well. Seattle’s King County Wastewater Treatment Division has reported that the buildup of PPE in the waste water is at an all-time high, according to KOMO News.