By PAUL MILLAR
LOCAL toilet habits are causing a stink at Barwon Water, with the authority blaming the flushing of sanitary wipes for hundreds of blockages annually.
Households must stop using their toilets as garbage disposal units to avoid making costly mistakes, said infrastructure general manager Paul Northey.
Wipes wrappers might say “flushable” but they still should not be flushed, he said.
Wipes were either “solely responsible” for blockages or were accumulating around tree roots within pipes where they attracted oil and grease, causing obstructions.
Barwon Water was spending hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to unblock drains, Mr Northey said.
“While many of the products are labeled flushable, they do not break down like toilet paper and can clog sewerage networks.
“We also appeal to residents to avoid pouring fats and oils down drains as these can build up in pipes and contribute to blockages and spills.”
Mr Northey said Barwon Water’s staff was working with a Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) industry group to develop appropriate “flushability” standards for Australian and international manufacturers.
“For now, we urge customers not to use the toilet as a garbage bin. A major blockage within domestic plumbing could end up being a very costly exercise.”
About 120 tonnes of wipes are removed from Queensland sewage systems annually and Sydney authorities spend $8 million a year fixing blockages, 75 per cent from wet wipes, according to Ace Body Corporate Management.
Body corporates and property owners were flushing away tens of thousands of dollars a year on “wet wipe time bombs”, the company said.
But the misuse of wipes is keeping local plumbers busy.
Aberdeen Plumbing’s John Hynes said up to 50 per cent of his work involved removing wipes.
“They do cause problems,” he said.
“It starts as a build up and then turns into a big plug. A lot of blockages are caused by them.”
Plumber Daniel Martin, who specialises in unblocking drains, said the wipes were a problem.
“They can catch on roots, as they definitely do not break down, and that causes a build up and that contributes to the blockage.”
