Residents reminded to not flush wipes and other sewer-clogging items
With people using a lot more “flushable” wipes and spending more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Windsor residents are being urged to be careful about what they flush down their toilets and sink drains.
First off, flushable wipes are “not flushable,” says Roberta Harrison, maintenance co-ordinator for the city’s public works department. “You can flush them down, but they’re not going anywhere, they get caught up in everything,” from sewer pipes to pump stations, causing major maintenance headaches for city staff, or for residents themselves.
She said at the start of the pandemic when toilet paper was scarce and people resorted to other options including wipes, and disinfectant wipes were also being used wipe down surfaces, public works staff were worried about big problems in the sewer system. Those problems largely haven’t materialized, perhaps because the message got out to not flush the wipes, or because the blockages are yet to happen. “I guess we’ll see going forward,” Harrison said.
When public works has to fix a sewer clogged with wipes or feminine hygiene products, it often
distributes a door hanger with educational information on what not to flush at nearby homes where the offending products may have originated.
The public works department issued a statement this week listing products you should not flush down your toilet or sink drain. The sewer system is often clogged up by fats, oils and greases, Harrison said.
“People just pour whatever from a frying pan down the drain thinking it’s no problem. But it’s a big problem. It can be a big problem in your own house and the city sewer system as well.”
Fats, oils and grease can build up on sewer walls, leading to blocked sewers that can result in basement flooding. It costs the city “a significant amount of money” to remove fats, oils and grease, either by treating it at the sewage treatment plant, or digging down and removing the congealed mess from sewers.
Instead of pouring it down the drain, residents are advised to pour their cooled fats, oils and grease into a container, store the container in a fridge or freezer until it’s full, and then bagging it and tossing it in the garbage. All wipes must also be placed in the garbage instead of flushed, the city says.
“Human waste and toilet paper are the only materials that should be flushed down the toilet.”
A city video called “Waste Water Where Does it Go” details the many items that shouldn’t be flushed, from paints and solvents, to pharmaceuticals, to dental floss, to the small stickers peeled off of fruits and vegetables.
“We find a lot of mysterious things in there, anything from twoby-fours to mops,” Harrison said of the unwanted items that turn up in the sewer system.
“I don’t know how they get in there, but it’s very strange. The less stuff like that we can keep our of our sewers, the better.”