This reminder comes as people have purchased items such as toilet, baby, and disinfecting "flushable" wipes, rags, and paper towels to keep their surfaces clean amid the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Flushing wipes can quickly block sewer pipes and cause major plumbing problems in our city’s sewer or your home’s septic tank system, which can lead to backups in your homes and disruptions of processes at our wastewater treatment plant such as plugging pumps.
Many of these items do not break down, contrary to what manufacturers may claim.
Other products have been found to clog pipes and pumps after being flushed including diapers, cotton swabs, dental floss, paper towels, and hair.
Instead, please place these items in a trash can.
Additional items not to flush are:
• Baby wipes, disinfectant wipes, moist wipes
• Diapers (cloth, disposable, "flush-able")
• Sanitary napkins, tampons, condoms, or any non-organic material
• Dental floss and cotton balls
• Toilet bowl scrub pads
• Napkins (paper or cloth), paper towels, facial tissues
• Clothing, wash cloths, towels, rags (any cloth item)