MNHQ here: what do you think about manufacturers marketing wipes as 'flushable'?

I've just realised we have a packet of bathroom wipes, and we assumed they can be flushed as well.

This is why it's aimed at parents
www.kandookids.com/kandoo-products/flushable-wipes/

Far from subtle marketing as "flushable". They're not the only ones, of course. Andrex and supermarket own moist arsewipes also claim to be flushable (though they're only ever called arsewipes on my shopping lists - never on the packet.)

Oh no I have been using these recently - it says breaks down when flushed on the pack?!

I agree entirely on the pouring away, Frozen. I'm just not sure about combining the issue with 'flushability'. Genuinely unsure so I'd welcome thoughts.

Anyone who's accidentally washed a wipe knows they're not going to do the sewage pipes Andy good.

I think there's already an initiative by the nappy science gang to stop people flushing nappy liners?

Yes, I was mortified when I realised I was responsible for blocking our drain (luckily just ours as far as I know). I have always been really careful what I put down the loo - always bin hair from our hairbrushes and definitely tampons etc. Normal wipes go in the bin but I just assumed flushable meant exactly that. I bet there are loads of people who have no idea they are causing a problem (never mind the hordes of people who don't care and put anything at all down the loo).

On a similar note, we need some sort of campaign about what sorts of fats can go down the sink without causing a blockage and also what sorts of liquids it is dangerous to flush or pour away. I bet loads of people are pouring away stuff they shouldn't.

I think it's a great idea to raise the issue, I didn't even know until recently from taking part in a product test that you weren't even supposed to flush tampons. I don't flush anything except toilet roll now and I avoid 3 ply l, I just stick to cheap Aldi roll now.

Yes - definitely!

Am an aquatic ecologist - I have spent a lot of time trundling up and down rivers and river banks and am thoroughly fed up of seeing the stuff which comes out when CSOs spill. And WE ALL pay for it to be cleaned up, because it costs the water companies so much to clear it all from their plants, and messes up their treatment processes.

Please, please support it!

This drives me bananas. I had a collapsed drain made about 100 times worse by my neighbour's 'flushable' wipes and as I'm the last house on that drain I had to deal with Scottish Water.

They're NOT FLUSHABLE and it shouldn't be allowed to be on the packaging!

Scottish Water is already running a good similar campaign - .

Who on earth thinks you should flush a nappy? They are massive!!

We had the fallout of blocked drains when our garden was flooded SIX times in about 8 months with raw sewage from an overflow on the path behind our house. It was absolutely disgusting.

Can I also mention the toilet cleaning wipes which state they are flushable? We don't flush them but they are made of the same sort of stuff that baby wipes are made of and should clearly not be deemed flushable.

I'd support this. We were flushing our moist wipes and kept on and on getting toilet blockages. I read - probably on here - that they shouldn't be flushed and no problems since.

They really shouldn't say flushable when they aren't.

I fully support a campaign on not flushing anything other than loo roll down the loo.

They are nasty, drain-clogging items! They should not be 'branded' as 'flushable' because that implies that you can flush them with impunity... and really, you can't. They're not flushable and they won't biodegrade any time soon ... so where will they end up? Yuck!

Obviously poss should be piss, my phone dislikes swearing!

Definitely support this

I use moist tissues or wipes when aunt floor is visiting but they go in the bag with the tampon and wrappers.

I remember i can only flush my 4 p's

Poss
Poo
Puke and
Paper.

Look we've written the ads for them, complete with jingle by MrsH

I would support any initiative to reduce the 'crap' people think is flushable and therefore subsequently block our village sewage system with. The sight of tampons and shitty baby wipes & nappies floating down our street (or even worse in the case of my flooded friends house, across the living room floor) is enough to make me hate the misleading nature of the packaging of these products with a vengeance. Unfortunatly the people at the top of the village on the new housing estates don't see the problems they cause as its not til the big modern drains meet the victorian system half way down the village that the blockages occur and unfortunatly they occur on a regular basis. Education and changing the packaging would really help as lots of people I've told about this honestly don't know they are doing anything wrong.

ThornyBird
Completely agree I would like to see one of the old fashioned public information campaign that says if it's not poo wee or loo roll don't flush it. It should be every where, social media,tv, radio Internet and newspapers I know it would be costly but cheaper in the long run than constantly dealing with blockages and repairs.

I think repeat offenders should be made to go down the sewers and clean the blockages.

ABC

Sorry to hear about that. Many people just don't understand sewers and the effect of a blockage somewhere in the system.

I would support this. It's criminal that manufacturers get away with labelling these wipes "flushable" when they shouldn't be flushed.

Amma explains to Bing that most things shouldn't be flushed in one of DS3's favourite episodes.

"If it isn't paper, wee or poo,
"You mustn't flush it down the loo."

When you think about it, it's obvious that something which doesn't disintegrate when wet (eg moist TT, tampons) won't disintegrate in the sewerage system either. But most of us don't spend much time thinking about it - so a campaign would be useful.

Excellent. Very pleased to see the considerable might of Mumsnet being used in a useful way for once.

While you're at it, can you persuade any squash and soft drinks manufacturers to ditch the aspartame/stevia and market their products proudly as NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS. There are millions of us who can't abide aspartame and it's in more or less every kind of soft drink now .

Yes, I'm in favour of this campaign. We have to get Dyno Rod out annually to deal with next door's tampons and wipes when the poo starts running down our drive.

Blocked swear? Blocked sewer!

I've was guilty for years of flushing tampons, and in recent times of flushing 'flushable' toddler wipes and toilet cleaning wipes, down the loo. MN educated me! Though the worst instance of a blocked swear I ever had was caused by next door dumped their unused pebble dashing down the drain. Oh dear...

As an aside, since DD potty trained I have realised the usefulness of the bidet. I wish we had one.

Indeed, Rhuba. That's why more prominence being given to the whole issue would be such a good idea.