A new assault on “flushable wipes’’

Take the problem of clogging wipes to the homeowner

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When I was paging through the newspaper this morning, I was surprised and pleased to see a half-page story about the ongoing battle the wastewater industry is waging over so-called “flushable wipes.’’

It explained how a New York State municipality – so plagued with clogs of wipes slowing flow in pipes and damaging pumps – decided to follow the waste stream its the source. Using basket strainers at sewer inlet pipes in the most problematic areas, officials traced the lumps of non-degrading wipes to specific residences, and then started a campaign to convince the homeowners to stop using them.

“We could walk right up and knock on the door and say, ‘Listen, this problem is coming right from your house,’ ” Tom Walsh, a senior project coordinator at South & Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District, told Associated Press.

It was great to see quotes from friend of Pumper Nick Arhontes, of Orange County, Calif., who’s told me about the problems wipes have been causing in his community. Arhontes repeated the advice many pumpers give their customers: that only human wastes and toilet paper should be flushed.

While it’s easy for septic service contractors to trace the source of wipe clogs back into the house, it remains important to follow through by warning homeowners of the potential damage their doing by flushing these moist, woven materials down the toilet.

The problems associated with flushable wipes that actually don’t break down in the septic tank or sewer system are not going away. According to the story, wipes are now a $6 billion industry and sales are expected to grow by 6 percent per year moving forward as marketers sell the perception that wipes promote better cleanliness.

If you have comments about this blog, respond below or send me an email at editor@pumper.com



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