America's Obsession With Wipes Is Tearing Up Sewer Systems

[douglas9]

Even before the pandemic, Americans were already flushing far too many wipes into the sewer system. After a year of staying at home, the pipe-clogging problem has gotten worse.

Just ask Larry Hare, who says he immediately observed the change from his vantage point as the manager at a wastewater reclamation facility in Des Moines, Iowa.

Sewer backups are up 50%, and he attributes this to the flushing of wipes, which don’t break down in water like toilet paper. “We’ve always had the problem, but it just hasn’t been as big a problem as it is currently,” Hare said.

With consumers cleaning everything from counters to doorknobs in hopes of thwarting the coronavirus, sanitary wipes are more popular than ever. In the 12 months through late January, their sales surged 75%, according to data from Nielsen. But the blockages they create when flushed — dubbed fatbergs — have become a costly headache. The Des Moines Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Authority has spent more than $100,000 over the past year and deployed specialized block-clearing trucks about 30 times, according to Hare. Similar problems are plaguing cities and towns across the U.S., and they’re being forced to spend more and more on fixing the problem.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-26/pandemic-wipes-create-sewer-clogging-fatbergs

[progree]

1. And "flushable wipes" are not flushable. Only flush toilet paper and what comes out of one's

posterior. That's what they tell us in our city newsletter. And in our home owner association where they've had to have our sewer lines cleared at great expense a number of times. Why some people can't learn and follow such a simple rule, I have no idea. Interestingly (but not surprisingly) floss is one of the worst things to flush.

[Ferrets are Cool]

4. Some people don't give a chit

so to speak.

[argyl]

2. Wipes are. So is the amount of toilet paper for that matter.

I have been living in Bangkok for the last three years now. Hoses equipped to spray your anal area are much cleaner than smearing excess fecal matter with toilet paper.
You can simply dry off with TP and toss it into a waste can which will always be conveniently located near the commode. Matter of fact, as warm as Bangkok is, the TP isn't really necessary. Just spritz yourself clean and you'll be dry in minutes.
In colder climes, the TP may be necessary for keeping warm but not for hygienic purposes. Like the bidet the French came up with for the anal instead of vaginal canal. Many other countries use this system as well. And wipes can be thrown into the trash as easily as toilet paper.
And also, I live in an apartment in Bangkok that although far from luxurious is well equipped enough to have a garbage disposal system. I've been in apartments much more well appointed than mine that seem to manage without one of them as well.
Now that's an appliance that really puts a strain on a water reclamation plant.
I'd be interested to know the percentage of American apartments and homes that come equipped with them.
I could be totally off but I'd bet the percentage would be a lot higher than other developed countries. Seems like an apartment without a garbage disposal these days in the States is considered a downright dump.

[Ferrets are Cool]

5. I've been using a bidet for about 3 years now and could NOT go back to paper

NO WAY!!!

[piddyprints]

16. Same here.

We have 2 of these:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B075MMHQX7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[hunter]

20. When our garbage disposal broke we didn't replace it.

We removed it and installed an ordinary drain.

That was maybe fifteen years ago.

We haven't had a drain clog since.

Most everything can be composted. If not it can go in the garbage.

[piddyprints]

3. Problem could be solved

If people simply bought a bidet attachment for their toilet. The least expensive ones are about $30 and they go up from there. It pays for itself in no time.

For wiping things down, whatever happened to washcloths, hot water, and soap?

We haven’t bought wipes in decades. I can’t stand the thought of wiping those chemicals all over myself or my stuff.

[NurseJackie]

10. Brrr! A shot of cold spray will certainly wake one up in the morning!

[piddyprints]

11. You get used to it.

My husband swore he’d never use the first bidet attachment we got. Turns out that he preferred using that bathroom because of the bidet. Now we have them in all the bathrooms and he uses them.

[Homoudont]

13. Toto Washlet

The Toto Washlet we got from Costco shoots warm water. Best investment ever.

[NurseJackie]

15. That's quite an investment. $300+ is a bit more than I can justify.

Also, just looking at the photo, it appears that the seat is tilted so far forward (ie: 3-4" higher in the back) that I'm afraid I'd tip over, or slide right off.

https:// www.costco.com/ toto-washlet-bidet-seat.product.100522422.html
(NOT SPAM: This is an on-topic link regarding part of the conversation)

[piddyprints]

17. The wipes aren't warm.

Sure, it would be nice to have a warm water bidet. We do fine with the cold water ones. They take a few minutes to install and don't cost much.

[Iggo]

14. "...and they go up from there."

[mopinko]

6. i dont understand why no one has invented one that degrades.

i realize it's quite a challenge, but....

[FSogol]

7. I have a coworker who was complaining that he's had to have the main sanitary line snaked

out 3 times in the last year.

So, I asked him, "how long have you been using flushable wipes?"

He gets angry and claims, "they're flushable, it says right on the label, flushable."

I laugh and ask him, "if they said edible, would you eat some?"

He thinks his pipes are improperly installed or the county sewer commission is fucking with him. WTF?

PS. We work for an mechanical engineering company.

[JHB]

8. Sure, the wipes maker says they're flushable. Look, you can flush them!

There's no regulation that they can't say that.

But the pipes say different, right? And who pays for the snaking? The wipes maker? Nope! It ain't their problem!

[FakeNoose]

9. I'm going to play the gender card here

I'm guessing most users of the "flushable" wipes are women, for you know, women's reasons. The message that the flushable wipes shouldn't be flushed, that needs to be packaged for women who are (my estimate) 90% of the users.

As a 70-year old woman, I have a right to express this opinion.

[piddyprints]

18. Not this old woman.

I use a bidet attachment. Can't stand those chemical-laden wipes.

[FakeNoose]

19. Yes of course, I only meant that more users are women

I don't use the wipes either, but I think a lot of women do. Consider the Moms who are "wiping little butts" all day. And that's just one of the reasons.

[greatauntoftriplets]

12. That happened in my condo building a few years ago.

The culprits were a couple who had a baby. A pipe connecting the building to the city sewer line had to be replaced. I felt badly for the plumbers (who happen to be the ones I call when necessary) who got to clean that mess out.