The impact of flushing sanitary waste down the toilet on sewers and waterways
Disposing of sanitary waste like period pads, tampons, wet wipes, and plastic packaging in the toilet may happen accidentally or because it is convenient but has a significant environmental impact.
Should you flush tampons and other sanitary products down the toilet?
In short; no. Sanitary products such as tampons and pads are often made from synthetic materials that are not biodegradable, so you shouldn’t flush these down the toilet. When flushed, these sanitary products can clog drainage systems and build-up in sewers, causing both expensive blockages and contributing to environmental pollution. In addition to sanitary items, wet wipes are often mistaken for being flushable but they can equally block pipes and lead to costly ‘fatbergs’ due to the plastic fibres they contain which easily get tangled up with other materials.
What is the impact of flushing sanitary products?
Flushing period products and wet wipes down the toilet can have a number of serious effects on water systems.
There is a major issue in the UK with blockages in drainage systems due to flushed sanitary items. These blockages can disrupt the entire local drainage system, leading to flooding, sewage spills, and costly repairs, with every sanitary item that is flushed away adding to this issue. In fact, this unnecessary flushing of non-biodegradable products costs Thames Water £18 million every year to remove the 75,000 blockages from its sewers.
Sanitary products can also interfere with the water treatment process, as they are difficult to filter out, requiring extra costly treatment to separate this solid waste from water. If the products make it past the filtration process, they may end up in our rivers and oceans, contributing to environmental pollution.
What is the impact of flushing sanitary products on the environment?
When flushed, sanitary items and wet wipes can end up in bodies of water such as rivers and oceans, creating long-term environmental damage. These products can take years to break down, with plastics causing harm to marine life and eventually resulting in humans ingesting microplastics. In fact, scientists have estimated that we could be eating up to 11,000 microscopic pieces of plastic every single year from seafood.
How should you discard tampons, period pads and other sanitary products?
Try only to flush the three ‘P’s; pee, poo, and (toilet) paper down the loo. Used sanitary products, wet wipes, and other non-biodegradable items in the washroom should be responsibly disposed of in a waste bin. This could be directly in a hygiene bin if there is one located in the toilet cubicle or they can be wrapped in toilet paper or popped into a sanitary waste bag, and put into the main washroom bin or bathroom waste bin (if you are at home).
Remember, responsibly disposing of your used sanitary products can help prevent issues with your water drainage system. If a blockage occurs our specialist teams can help with washroom deep cleaning and unblocking of cisterns and urinals.