People around the world have been going on a toilet paper frenzy, buying up as much as they can get their hands on. This is leaving a big shortage and people are resorting to using alternatives to toilet paper such as wet wipes, paper towels, and even newspapers.
People are now being warned in Australia and the UK, but the same holds true for the rest of the world. These “alternatives” to toilet paper don’t break down and can block the sewer system.
As reported in this video by CNN, toilet paper is being stripped off the shelves around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhXnJcEPPno
Anna Jackson is the General Manager of Communications and Engagement at South Australia Water who warns people that are listening to advice posted on social media.
“Paper towels, wet wipes, baby wipes, even tissues, are designed not to break down, are tough and strong, and therefore get caught in our sewer network and create blockages.”
Coliban Water in Victoria, Australia recently had to deal with a 20,000-liter spill into a local creek caused by wet wipes and paper towels. Steve Dunlop, Customs operations manager for Coliban;
“We can’t emphasize enough the consequences of sewer spills to both the environment and the community. The cost to Coliban Water to remove blockages and clean up spills is a cost to all of us. Foreign objects can also block plumbing on your own property, costing you money, time and inconvenience of repair and clean-up.”
UK Company, Thames Water posted on Facebook:
We’re reminding everyone to help us by not flushing wet wipes/kitchen roll down their toilets if they’re affected by a toilet paper shortage or simply want to get rid of used wipes & other cleaning products from their homes.
Instead, they should be thrown in the bin. Thank you.
What to Do?
As Thames Water points out, throw it in a bin or garbage can instead.
Anyone who has done extensive traveling in Asia is used to this idea, as they do not have advanced septic systems. So, there are signs in nearly every bathroom asking people to please use the bins.
Ms. Jackson stressed this point:
The real point is about public health and hygiene and you really need to keep the sewage in the sewer network, so we need people to work with us on this.
We need to make sure that if you are reaching for an alternative to use in the bathroom, that you are putting it in a bin in the bathroom, and that bin is emptied into the outdoor bin regularly.
As we go through these challenging times, it would certainly benefit us to not make matters worse. Having a bathroom full of feces would certainly make matters worse!
People may not have been aware of the potential “crap storm” that flushing toilet paper alternatives can cause. Using a trash bin and emptying it can help prevent such disasters, so could rolling out the development of hemp toilet paper.
