Kiwis are once again being warned not to flush wet wipes down the toilet, as a massive increase in their use amid the coronavirus lockdown is leading to major blockages in our waste water systems.
Today, Director of Civil Defence Sarah Stuart-Black delivered a message about wet wipes on behalf of local authorities nationwide.
"There is one thing they and we need people to do, or rather stop doing," she began.
"Wet wipes - they are a major problem for waste water treatment plants and sewage systems."
"As people become rightly, more aware about hygiene, the use of wet wipes has increased markedly.
"Unfortunately disposing of wet wipes down the toilet leads to extra blockages in the network and this includes flushable wet wipes.
"The bottom line is please always put wet wipes in the rubbish and not the toilet," she concluded.
It comes as earlier in the month 1 NEWS revealed wet wipes flushed down toilets are causing pumping stations in Auckland to break down weekly, when normally they have problems only once or twice a year.
The campaign is looking to solve the costly problems caused by the disposable wipes clogging up the sewage systems.
Repairs for breakdowns are costing ratepayers three times as much as regular maintenance.
Watercare staff say the sanitizing wipes problems are unprecedented and came as people became more concerned about avoiding coronavirus.
"People are scared of Covid-19 so they're cleaning a lot more and instead of chucking it in the rubbish, they want to get rid of the virus, so they chuck it down the toilet - out of sight out of mind," waste plant technician Alain Sayers told 1 NEWS.
"But really it comes to us, and we see it, and it's a lot more damage than you think," he said.
SHARE ME