Why you shouldn’t flush wipes and paper towels you’re buying as coronavirus spreads
As shoppers prepare for the spread of the coronavirus, toilet paper has become a hot commodity.
With store shelves left bare across the country, some people may consider alternatives.
But are wipes, paper towels and facial tissues OK to flush?
Not at all, sewage experts warn.
“Toilet paper may be at a premium these days, but don’t be tempted to flush those wipes, paper towels, or napkins,” the city of Spokane posted Tuesday on Twitter. “They’re likely to clog your sewer pipes & ours, creating a yucky — and expensive — mess.”
That’s because the materials in those products can take more time to disintegrate in the sewage system, news outlets report.
While toilet paper breaks apart in water, paper towels and tissues are made to stay put, wastewater experts told USA Today and The New York Times.
And wipes, even the ones coined “flushable,” have actually caused backups, too.
Last year, crews had to make three diving trips to get rid of a clog caused by wipes in Charleston, South Carolina, The State reported. Photos show the clump was so big that it spilled out from a tractor.
In Florida last year, a mass of wipes caused a sewer line to break, “sending 80,000 gallons of wastewater into the stormwater system and ultimately into Ware’s Creek,” the Bradenton Herald reported.
So if you’ve stockpiled wipes and other products, what should you do?
It’s best to just throw them away after use, according to The New York Times.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 8:49 AM with the headline "Why you shouldn’t flush wipes and paper towels you’re buying as coronavirus spreads."
