Don’t flush that – it’s World Toilet Day

It’s World Toilet Day today (Thursday 19 November) and Fraser Coast residents are being urged to spare a thought for the plumbers who worked through the great COVID-19 toilet paper shortage.

Cr Paul Truscott said while it was normal for the Wide Bay Water and Waste teams to be called out every day to a blockage, the number of call outs skyrocketed earlier this year.

“T-shirts, rags and paper towel started showing up and blocking up sewers across the Fraser Coast,” he said.

“It can be an expensive problem. While Council fixes blockages in its system, householders have pay to have blockages in their pipes fixed.

“And most of the callouts, about 70%, were on private property and had to be fixed by residents.”

Cr Truscott said there was only three P’s to flush – toilet paper, pee and poo.

“Toilets are not rubbish bins,” he said.

“Wet wipes, cotton buds, nappies, contraceptive devices, feminine hygiene products, medication and needles should be thrown in the bin and not flushed down the loo.

“Even wet wipes which are advertised as flushable should not be flushed down the toilet.

“They do not breakdown like toilet paper and can form into large floating clumps which collect other debris, such as cotton buds and cooking fat that has been flushed down the kitchen sink.

“These floating clumps of rubbish, or ‘fatburgs’, clog pipes; jam pumps and tangle up equipment at sewage treatment plants and homes.

“Cleaning your blocked pipes can be difficult and expensive, especially if the sewage backs up and oozes into your house or yard.”