Thursday, June 27, 2013

Flushing, Part 2: The Toilet is Not a Trash Can

We can't say it any better than that.

We've blogged a few times about disposable wipes, and most recently about what not to flush. It's really not about the grinder pump -- many things that people flush aren't supposed to be put into ANY sewer system, septic tank or cesspool.

The only things that should go down a drain are water, human waste and toilet paper.

Many people will read the above statement and say, "well, of course ... what else WOULD you flush?" There is no limit to the number of answers. We have seen:
  • Aquarium gravel
  • Kitty litter
  • Coffee grounds
  • Paint -- not just rinsing a paintbrush, but half a gallon of leftover paint
  • Underwear
  • A beach towel
  • Pens/pencils
  • Pagers
  • Cell phones
  • Disposable wipes (cleaning wipes, baby wipes, personal care) -- 1, 2 or a continuous "string" of 6 or more

Source: King County, Washington, web site, www.kingcounty.gov
WEF, the Water Environment Federation, American Public Works Association (APWA), and municipalities around the country are campaigning about what not to flush. Besides equipment failures, chemicals that are flushed can end up in the watershed.

We also like this document from the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority.

A quick Google search of "what not to put into a sewer" returns 23.4 million results, including:




Questions about you grinder pump? Contact us at eone@eone.com, or check out the Homeowner Information section of our web site. Our YouTube channel also has a collection of Likes that feature "what not to flush."

(Note: All of the links and documents in this post belong to municipalities that may or may not have an affiliation with E/One. We selected them from Google searches based on the quality of their content.)


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