Coronavirus makes it hard to find toilet paper. Don’t flush other products down the drain
A shortage of toilet paper is being used to remind residents that certain wiping alternatives aren’t welcome down the drain.
The Manatee County Utilities Department sent out a release Monday morning urging customers not to flush paper towels, baby wipes, disinfectant wipes or other cleaning products in their toilets.
“Even though labeled ‘flushable,’ wipes and other products don’t break down in pipes and in the county’s wastewater system,” the release said.
Sarasota County posted a similar message on social media, too. Last week alone, Sarasota’s utilities department cleared at least two large blockages caused by items that don’t dissolve in the sewer system.
Manatee’s release points out that the items cause clog systems that eventually back up and cause sanitary system overflows that pump wastewater back out into the streets. The result “can cause damage to property and harm humans, animals and the environment.”
The city of Bradenton has also run into issues caused by baby wipes and other products that don’t belong in the toilet. In January 2019, utilities employees removed a mass in the Ballard Park neighborhood that sent 80,000 gallons of wastewater into Wares Creek.
The full list of items that shouldn’t be flushed or put down the drain is as follows:
- Disinfecting/surface wipes
- Mop or “Swiffer”-type refills
- Baby wipes
- Paper towels
- Jewelry wipes
- Pet care wipes
- Cosmetic wipes
- First Aid wipes
- Disposable wipes or diaper liners
- Bio-pads (nursing home, health care, etc.)
- Cotton swabs
- Menstrual products
- Toilet cleaning pads
- Any moist-type towelettes
- Any consumer item that is not toilet paper
