Despite what the packaging says, flushable wipes should never be flushed down the toilet! They can cause blockages in the sewer system and create all kinds of problems. Just toss ‘em in the trash instead!
Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.
Packages of disposable wipes often say that they’re “flushable,” but is that really true? Possibly reporters Will Malloy and Charlie Adams are here to tell us the truth.
Will Malloy: Hi Megan!
Charlie Adams: Hi!
Megan Hall: So what’s the deal with flushable wipes?
Will Malloy: Megan, I know we usually don’t give away the answer right out the gate, but I’ve gotta get this one off my chest: no matter what the package says, you should NEVER flush disposable wipes down the toilet!
Megan Hall: Got it. I guess that’s it for today…
Charlie Adams: But wait, let us explain…
Megan Hall: Yeah, that’s so confusing. If they say they’re flushable, why can’t I flush them?
Will Malloy: Experts say that even disposable wipes labeled as “flushable” are much more durable than toilet paper.
Jim McCaughey: They are not flushable. Though you can flush it down the toilet, they do not break down.
Will Malloy: That’s Jim McCaughey, the Deputy Director of Narragansett Bay Commission, which is in charge of running Rhode Island’s biggest wastewater treatment facilities.
Charlie Adams: He says that wipes don’t dissolve like toilet paper. Instead, they stay pretty intact, which can cause clogs and blockages in the sewer system.
Will Malloy: So, even if flushable wipes don’t clog your toilet, they can jam up the facilities that treat our wastewater.
Jim McCaughey: They cause us all kinds of problems at our facilities and our plants.
Megan Hall: What kinds of problems?
Will Malloy: Those wipes can break equipment, which is expensive to repair and can cause untreated wastewater to pour into public waterways in the meantime.
Charlie Adams: And those costs just get passed back to all of us when we pay our sewer bill or taxes.
Megan Hall: What should we do instead?
Will Malloy: Luckily, this is a problem with a really easy solution when it comes to wipes:
Jim McCaughey: They should go into the trash and not be flushed down the toilet.
Charlie Adams: In fact, the ONLY things you should flush down the toilet are human waste and toilet paper. That’s it.
Megan Hall: So, why do these packages of so-called flushable wipes even exist? That’s so misleading.
Will Malloy: That’s a really interesting question. Lots of other people have been wondering the same thing.
Charlie Adams: In fact, in recent years, companies that manufacture these wipes and market them as flushable have faced class action lawsuits.
Will Malloy: In 2022, one manufacturer agreed to a $20 million settlement for a suit that said its products clogged and damaged pipes.
Megan Hall: So, these wipes should be illegal?
Charlie Adams: That’s a matter of opinion. But right now, nobody agrees on who, if anybody, should be deciding if these wipes are actually flushable.
Will Malloy: The FDA regulates these wipes as cosmetic products, but it’s only deciding whether they’re safe to use on your skin.
Charlie Adams: Congress has considered bills that would decide which government agency should regulate how these wipes are advertised. For now, though, nobody seems to be regulating whether or not they are truly flushable.
Will Malloy: But some states are taking things into their own hands. Last year, Hawai’i considered a bill to ban the sale of any wipes labeled as flushable.
Charlie Adams: While lawmakers are hashing out legislative solutions to the problem, the rest of us don’t have to wait.
Will Malloy: So if you choose to buy disposable wipes, just remember to toss them in the trash, regardless of what the packaging says.
Megan Hall: Thanks for letting us know!
That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to askpossibly.org Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
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Possibly is a co-production of The Public’s Radio, Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society and Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative.
The post Despite the name, flushable wipes are not flushable appeared first on TPR: The Public’s Radio.