We know what you’re flushing, Adelaideians

New figures released today by SA Water reveal Adelaideians are continuing to clog the sewer network with wet wipes, with the prime offenders flushing in Morphett Vale, Rostrevor and Hillcrest.

Elizabeth East, Adelaide CBD, Christie Downs, Salisbury North, Ingle Farm, Campbelltown and Windsor Gardens round out the list of ‘top 10’ most offending suburbs, collectively seeing nearly 300 wet wipe-induced blockages during the past year.

SA Water’s Senior Manager of Production and Treatment Lisa Hannant hoped a public plea would help curb the unwanted behaviour and reduce unnecessary costs that come with it.

“Adelaide, it’s time we had a chat… we see your pipes, and they’re full of wet wipes!” Lisa said.

“Unlike toilet paper, which breaks down in around 30 seconds, wet wipes contain multiple layers of woven fibre and are designed not to disintegrate, making them a menace for our sewer network.

“Clumps of wet wipes and other unflushables such as tampons, tissues and condoms can build up in our sewerage pipes and block the flow, leading to overflows on the street or inside people’s homes.

“What’s been flushed can come back up, and nobody wants their laundry, bathroom or kitchen to be on the receiving end of that.

“Luckily, the solution is as simple as only ever flushing the three Ps – pee, poo and (toilet) paper – and putting everything else in the bin.”

Over the past 12 months, wet wipes were directly responsible for 2,500 sewer blockages across SA Water’s statewide network and at customers’ individual connection points, with the utility spending around $2 million to redirect unflushables from pipes, pump stations and wastewater treatment plants to landfill.

Ms Hannant said the introduction of a new world-first standard defining what shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet will help consumers make the right choice at the dunny.

“The Australian standard for flushables provides clear pass and fail criteria for manufacturers to be able to label their product as safe to flush, and will help shoppers who want to make the right choice” Lisa said.

Rinsing food scraps, fats and oils down kitchen sinks instead of putting them in the bin is also problematic, with congealed kitchen waste binding wipes and other solids together to form fatbergs.

“Our sewers do a great job protecting public health, so we need to respect our toilets and drains, instead of treating them like rubbish bins.”

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