Bin those unflushable items this spring and help prevent blockages
Severn Trent is asking customers to be mindful about what they are putting down the toilet this spring as teams continue to deal with thousands of blockages and flooding incidents every year.
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With the new season in full bloom, the water and waste company is focusing on the serious effects unflushable items such as wet wipes can have on customers’ homes and gardens and reminding everyone that they can be very costly to fix.
Their latest “Sewer Stories” campaign encourages everyone to ‘be a binner, not a blocker’, by showcasing the gross and devastating consequences of flushing the wrong things down the loo.
In the past year, the Severn Trent waste crews have managed to clear a massive 28,782 blockages, something that could have been avoided if unflushables were put in the bin rather than down the toilet and sink.
Grant Mitchell, Sewer Blockages Lead at Severn Trent, said: “Spring is in the air and our teams are working hard to make sure that our sewers remain clear, maintained and in good condition for our customers, but we do need a helping hand from everyone to keep our sewers healthy and blockage free.
“We need customers to remember to ‘be a binner, not a blocker’ and make sure they are only putting the correct things down the toilet and sinks.”
Helpful tips on how to turn over a new leaf and prevent blockages and flooding in your home include:
- Use kitchen roll to soak up grease from plates and pans before washing up
- Collect used cooking oil, fat and grease into a container, jar or tin and put it in the bin once cool
- Make sure things like gravy and sauces are binned rather than washed down the sink
- In the bathroom only flush the 3Ps - pee, poo, and (toilet) paper- down the toilet
- Make sure to keep a bin in the bathroom for all unflushable items such as wet wipes
Wet wipes continue to cause the biggest problems for the sewers and customers are asked not to flush them, even if they say ‘flushable’ or ‘biodegradable’ on the packaging as they don’t break down like toilet paper.
When they are flushed, they can cause the system to back-up and cause sewage to flood into homes, which is extremely unpleasant and can hit customers in the pocket.
Around two and a half tonnes of wipes and other items which shouldn’t be put down the toilet are pulled out of our sewers each year, around the same weight as an African Elephant.
Other offenders that can cause big issues are kitchen roll, cotton buds, nappies and sanitary products. When all these are congealed together with fats, oils and greases, which also shouldn’t be put down the sink, they create fatbergs and blockages, which in turn can lead to flooding in homes and gardens.
Grant added: “Unflushable items such as wet wipes, sanitary products, nappies and a whole lot more cannot be flushed down the toilet. It they do they can cause blockages, which can flood the home which is not very nice at all.
"This spring, we are asking people to really think about their habits and what they are putting down the sink. Even small changes can have a huge impact on sewer health."
For more information on how to protect your home from blockages and flooding, and to listen our Sewer Stories visit stwater.co.uk/my-supply/sewer-stories
Anyone who has a problem, either with slow drains or a blocked sewer it can be reported at stwater.co.uk/in-my-area/check-my-area or by calling 0800 783 4444.
