Stop flushing your wet wipes, Queenstown Lakes District Council says amid coronavirus

March 16, 2020

They might kill germs, but when flushed wet wipes wreak havoc on the sewage system.

People are stocking up on anti-bacterial wipes to try prevent the coronavirus from spreading, but councils are pleading for people to throw them out when they're done, not flush them.

Queenstown Lakes District Council is the latest struggling to cope with the influx of wet wipes getting flushed.

Despite some packets claiming to be "flushable", such wipes should never be flushed down the toilet.

If flushed, they clog wastewater systems and can form enormous "fatbergs" blocking the pipes.

Peter Hansby, Queenstown Lakes District Council's general manager of property and infrastructure, says contractors have noticed a "large increase" in the number of wipes being found in the wastewater networks over the last few weeks.

"Antibacterial wipes are currently in hot demand as people take extra hygiene precautions in light of concerns about Covid-19," he said in a statement today.

"While many of these products say they can be flushed, that is simply not the case."

The handy cleaning product contains non-biodegradable plastic and the UK is considering a ban.

The region has already had two "minor overflows" caused by the wet wipes blocking the pipes.

"The best approach is to keep a small bin next to your toilet to dispose of anything that isn’t one of the three Ps - that’s poo, pee or paper," Mr Hansby says.

"Putting anything else down the toilet will ultimately cause blockages in the network and repairing these come at an unnecessary cost to the ratepayer."

Today's message echoes similar pleas from the Auckland Council, also struggling with a recent increase in flushed wipes.

Pumping stations are breaking down weekly in the city, while normally only having problems once or twice a year.

Watercare says wet wipes should never be flushed down the toilet, even if they claim to be "flushable".

SHARE ME