A jaw-dropping image out of Australia serves as a strong reminder: baby wipes should never, ever go down the toilet.
Diaper wipes are incredibly handy for cleaning up just about anything. However, they create a massive, sewer-clogging mess if you decide to flush them. That’s why every diaper wipe package clearly warns against it.
Sound familiar? Clearly, some folks aren’t heeding the warning.
The Lower Hunter Water Authority in Australia recently released a shocking photo showing a crane — yes, a crane — hoisting a staggering 23-foot, 1,653-pound mass of baby wipes from a blocked sewer pipe. And that was just a part of the mess; workers had to manually remove an additional 661 pounds of wipes and unwanted debris.
These so-called “fatbergs” — a term for the nasty clumps of wet wipes, diapers, feminine hygiene products, and other non-flushable items that clog up the sewage system — have been a growing issue for years. In 2014, London workers spent 10 days removing a fatberg the size of a double-decker bus from its underground sewer system. A study by Kimberly-Clark Corporation found that around 90% of materials in U.S. sewage systems weren’t meant to be flushed. What gives, people?
Nick Rivers from Hunter Water tells ABC News that the situation has worsened with the rise of “flushable” wipes, leading many to mistakenly believe that virtually any wipe can be flushed. Spoiler alert: they can’t!
Most diaper wipes don’t break down as you might hope. When flushed, they just expand, contributing to these fatbergs which can cause sewage backups in homes and create extra work for sanitation services. According to Rivers, the only proper place for diaper wipes is the trash can. “A good rule of thumb is the three Ps — pee, paper, and poo,” he advises. “Everything else should stay out of the sewer.”
People may flush baby wipes to avoid dealing with them, but doing so only guarantees that someone will have to retrieve them with a colossal crane later. It’s a dreadful idea, and if you’ve been tossing diaper wipes in the toilet, consider this your official wake-up call to stop!
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In summary, flushing diaper wipes is a big no-no that leads to massive plumbing disasters and added sanitation woes. Always toss them in the trash instead!