A Costly Problem You Just Can't Flush Away

It's been nine months since Pottstown Borough Manager Justin Keller asked people to think twice about using 'flushable wipes.'

But the problem of these wipes clogging up the works at the wastewater treatment plant have not let up and the Pottstown Borough Authority is moving ahead with a project to combat the problem.

Tuesday night, the authority heard from Utilities Manager Brent Wagner who said preparations for a new filter system to catch the cloth before it gets into the plant are now complete and the parts have been ordered.

When it's done, it will have cost the public $500,000 to try to keep the irksome wipes out of the plant.

First, a bit of clarification.

Evidently, the last time Keller used the phrase "flushable wipes," he got a sternly worded letter from the "non-woven fabrics industry."

So now, in the ultimate act of political correctness, borough staff refer to them as "non-dispersable" cloths, or "rags," according to Authority Engineer Josh Fox.

Hey, who cares what it says on the label right?

Wagner said crews recently pulled out bunch of the wipes that had knitting themselves together and it was as big as the floor area in a good-sized bathroom.

"I could tell you stories about those things," said Borough Authority Board member Aram Ecker, who is a plumber in town.

Photo by Ryerson University

Ryerson researcher Barry Orr holds a tangle of wipes retrieved
from a wastewater collection plant.

Anyhoo, Pottstown is not the only place this is a problem.

Last year Royersford issued a public service announcement about the problems the wipes can cause not only in wastewater treatment plants, but in people's homes as well, according to an article in PATCH.

In April, Forbes magazine reported on a study of 101 different wipes "and not one of them passed a flushability test. Instead, the wipes failed to fall apart or disperse safely in tests. In other words, cleansing and diaper wipes shouldn't be flushed (even if they're labeled as 'flushable') because they'll clog sewer systems, according to the first-ever study by Ryerson University in Ontario," Forbes reported.

Twenty three of the wipes tested were labeled as flushable by the manufacturer. 

"Results showed that not one single wipe was able to fall apart or disperse safely through the sewer system test, which can negatively impact household plumbing, municipal sewage infrastructure, and consequently, the environment," according to a press release on the study.

“This research confirms conclusively what those of us in the industry already knew―that single-use wipes, including cleansing and diaper wipes, cannot be safely flushed, even those labelled as ‘flushable,’” report lead Barry Orr, said in the release.

"From 2010 to 2018 the City of Toronto logged nearly 10,000 calls per year from residences due to 'sewer service line-blocks' relating to factors such as disposal of non-flushable materials down household toilets, according to the press release.

And the price is paid even by those who don't use the wipes, and end up having to call their plumber, in higher sewer bills to pay for projects like Pottstown's, according to Ryerson's study.

“Defining ‘Flushability’ for Sewer Use clearly highlights the need for a legislated standard definition around the term ‘flushable,’ that ensures a product is safe to be disposed of down the toilet,” said Orr. “This will in turn lead to imposing stricter regulations for the labelling of products. The current practice is misleading consumers and creating harm on so many levels. This study is an important step towards regulating manufacturers to change their packaging.”

Apparently the industry has tried to avoid government regulation by adopting a voluntary code of practice for labeling which, Orr says, is inadequate because the standard they use to define "flushability," i.e. that it will 'break apart,' relies on using turbulent water that is unlike slow-flowing sewage systems.
On its website, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, yes Virginia, there is such a thing, has guidelines for defining 'flushability,' to help make labeling more accurate, a set of guidelines now it it's fourth edition!

Here is part of what the site says:

We recognize that the appeal of these products comes from the advantages they offer in effectiveness, cleanliness, convenience and ease of use. However, how and where they are used can encourage flushing as the means for disposal which, in certain cases, is not the correct route.

Together, our aim is to reduce the amount of non-flushable material in the wastewater stream. Therefore, it is important that even products which are likely to be flushed (even though not designed to be), and products which do not meet our Guidelines include the “Do Not Flush” symbol on package labelling.

And you thought this article wouldn't be fun.

So to sum up, an industry that markets its products is 'flushable,' is gumming up sewer systems all over the place, costing Pottstown sewer system ratepayers $500,000, and their answer is to include a "Do Not Flush" symbol on the label of a product people buy because its 'flushable.'

Ain't capitalism grand?

And on that note, here is a link to the Tweets from the meeting.