Bag It and Bin It

It is essential that you take care with what you flush down the toilet.

Blockages caused by objects that the sewerage system has not been designed for can create huge damage to your and possibly your neighbours' property.

What can be flushed:

  • Human waste (excrement)
  • Toilet paper (not too much and not the moist, extra strong type)

What shouldn't be flushed and how it should be disposed of...

Bag and bin all of these:

  • Sanitary items - towels, tampons, applicators, panty liners, backing strips, etc
  • Disposable nappies, liners and baby wipes
  • All wipes, including baby, bathroom and toilet
  • Incontinence pads
  • Condoms and femidoms
  • Colostomy bags
  • Bandages and plasters

Bin all of these:

  • Cotton buds, cotton wool
  • Contact lenses
  • Toothbrushes
     

Dangerous items:

  • Place Razors and razor blades in a rigid container and put in the bin
  • Take Syringes and needles to a needle bank (ask local GP for its location)
  • Return Medicines and contraceptives to your local pharmacy.
  • When the label says 'disposable', it does not always mean it can be flushed down the toilet.

Why can't these things be flushed?
The wastewater drain running from your house is just 4 inches wide and is only designed to take human waste and toilet paper. Other waste is too big and can cause blockages in your drain - potentially costing you time and money to fix.

Sanitary items can also block the public sewer and damage screens which are used to filter out the waste. These screens are important as during heavy rainfall the flow in the sewers increases hundreds of times. Diluted wastewater can sometimes be allowed to flow into rivers or the sea to prevent homes from flooding. Unfortunately if sanitary waste is flushed it can escape through these damaged screens and pollute rivers and beaches. This can cause a health hazard, harm wildlife, and is awful to look at.

What are we doing to help?
We are investing million of pounds on upgrading and building new waste water treatment works and systems. But this investment programme will take years to complete and even then you should always

BAG IT AND BIN IT - DON'T FLUSH IT!