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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

For those of you who flush nappies, wet wipes and SAN pro down the toilet...

139 replies

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 12/09/2017 13:35

Aibu to gently remind people that the only things that should go down the toilet (and sink) are bodily fluids and tissue paper?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-london-41238272
It seems to come up quite frequently that people don't understand you shouldn't flush other things down there.

OP posts:
Scentofwater · 12/09/2017 15:02

I don't flush anything except the four p's apart for one thing... gone off soup. Sometimes with small lumps. It's too liquid to go in the bin, I don't have a food waste collection (don't think soup could go in there either) and I don't put anything with meat in it on the compost. I'm not going to put it in a bottle to go to landfill when that bottle can be recycled... so is flushing it ok? I think it's close enough to puke to count as a 'p'?

kali110 · 12/09/2017 15:03

Im in my mid 30's and we were taught to flush them ( i don't now however i did for years).
My friends of same age were taught the same.

Think its confusing as some toilet wipes state they are flushable, so people think they are ok to flush them.

ProfessorCat · 12/09/2017 15:05

Four Ps?

Puke, poo and pee? What's the fourth?

dataandspot · 12/09/2017 15:07

Thank you endofthelinefinally for replying to my question.

Scentofwater · 12/09/2017 15:08

Professor the last p is paper, as in toilet paper

LanaKanesLeftNippleTassle · 12/09/2017 15:09

We pour used veg oil into the plastic bottles it comes in (we buy in bulk, so like 3l or 5l containers.)

We then keep it outside in the bin store until we have loads/or other stuff to take to the tip, then we take it there, pour all the oil into the special recycler they have there for cooking oil and recycle the bottles in the plastics.

Easy.

I think we should start re assessing everything we make tbh.

A lot of the modern "advancements" have actually totally fucked up our world, compared to the "old" ways.

Classic example.....Fizzy pop/beer used to come in glass bottles that you could take back down the shop when empty and get money back.

Now it comes in individual plastic bottles that aren't often recycled, end up scattered over the earth, and are not so slowly poisoning our seas and wildlife.

Tampons and towles used to be made from biodegradeable materials, and are now so plasticised that they no longer naturally degrade.

Fruit used to come in brown paper bags, now tightly wrapped in petrol based plastic.

We need to go back to reusable, as opposed to disposable.

And no one needs to wipe with moist anything after the loo, so long as you wipe properly, and bathe regularly, you do not need plastic based wipes that are responsible for killing marine life.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 12/09/2017 15:10

never in my entire adult life have I ever witnessed or heard of ANYONE flushing a gawdarn nappy.... is it even possible??

My thick as shit (thankfully former) neighbours did and complained to the landlord the drains were blocked.

The entire street did a happy dance when they moved...

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 12/09/2017 15:12

While we're on the subject, can anyone recommend any biodegradable nappy bags? I use them for tampons but would rather put them in something more environmentally friendly.

BarbaraofSevillle · 12/09/2017 15:13

Andrex should be shot for their campaign suggesting that toilet paper is not enough to be clean and we all need to buy their wipes that they are selling us Hmm. Tax companies that do this sort of thing much more heavily.

Straws are another big baddie. Billions of straws are used and irresponsibly thrown away and end up polluting the sea and harming wildlife after being used in fizzy drinks and cocktails. We should all be not using straws or using reusable straws.

Clandestino · 12/09/2017 15:14

I had a huge -row- heated argument with DH when I found out he was flushing cold oil down the toilet or pouring it into the sink.
Told him to google it when he didn't believe me. Can't believe an intelligent man didn't understand what happens when cold fat meets cold water and pipes.
Same for wet wipes, I almost had a fit. Would never flush anything bar toilet paper and the occasional non-fatty and easy to dissolve leftovers.

wheresmyphone · 12/09/2017 15:16

For the life of me I do not understand why the big FMCG companies are allowed to sell "flushable toilet wipes" that are not flushable and cause all sorts of problems. They do not bio degrade quickly and cause expensive blockages that we all have to pay for whilst the companies continue to advertise a big fat lie! Why doesn't Advertising Standards do anything for that matter?!

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 12/09/2017 15:39

@shakingmyhead1

i cant believe im asking this but...... wtf is a sanpro?

sanitary products i.e. tampons, sanitary towels etc

OP posts:
ProfessorCat · 12/09/2017 15:45

the last is paper - Doh! Of course. I was thinking period Grin

The "flushable" wipes I have aren't made of a wetwipe material. They're sort of papery, they tear and disintegrate easily and are marketed as toddler training wipes. They are quite thick though.

I won't flush them any more anyway. I used cloth nappies and wipes for DC - maybe I'll make some wipes again.

44PumpLane · 12/09/2017 15:54

Lakeland also sells a product to deal with smaller quantities of cooking oil, you buy what is essentially a plastic lidded pot and then there are cardboard inserts (like a sturdy egg box). You pour your oil in and then ooo the lid in, the oil is absorbed by the cardboard and when saturated you pop in the regular bin..... hang on let me find a link.....

www.lakeland.co.uk/71003/Absorb-Bin-Biodegradable-Kitchen-Fat-Trapper---Large

bonzo77 · 12/09/2017 15:55

@pinksparkly boots do them. Or you can wrap in loo roll.

44PumpLane · 12/09/2017 15:56

Oh I should also say I don't work for Lakeland, I just wish I could afford to buy all the gadgets they sell!!

Also would like to know if anyone has found biodegradable nappy sacks as I use these for tampon disposal too- really must investigate a mooncup though.

CleanThoseLoos · 12/09/2017 15:56

I've been flushing wipes, tampons down the loo for many a year in the same property. I've never had a single blockage Confused

I don't put oil or fat down the sink because that clogs it up.

MothertotheLordsofmisrule · 12/09/2017 15:57

Our drains went through a phase of blocking, the guy who cleared it said he thinks it due to the lower flush volume of loos and the decline of baths. We don't put the large amounts of water to clear the gunk that collects on the top of the pipe and eventually it clogs.
We had mutual liking of sewer systems and he was very enthusiastic about how they workGrin

44PumpLane · 12/09/2017 15:58

cleanthoseloos
Now you know you shouldn't, please will you stop?

I didn't know about tampons until several years ago but have never flushed a single one since finding out- please stop :)

MrsMoastyToasty · 12/09/2017 16:03

Ex water company employee here.
I've been to sewerage treatment works and if san pro etc gets as far as there then somebody has to clear the mesh screens where the town's waste enters the works either with a machine or by hand and put it in a skip and send it to landfill.

BarbaraofSevillle · 12/09/2017 16:08

It's not just household drains we need to not block but the entire sewerage system, provide fodder for fatberg production as referred to in the OP and as Toasty says dealing with tampons etc at the sewerage works.

That sort of waste costs money to get rid of, which will be passed onto customers in the form of higher bills.

DesignedForLife · 12/09/2017 16:16

DH has to periodically clean the drains where he works because they are blocked with wipes and sanitary products. It's grim.

Cooking fat - put it in an old tin can or make a cup out of tin foil then put in the rubbish. Or allow to congeal and scrap into food waste bit.

Actually agog at the shirt flushing neighbor!

Samsara123 · 12/09/2017 16:17

The fourth P, period??
The companies that make flushable wipes that don't flush need fining.

Mycarsmellsoflavender · 12/09/2017 16:18

I think blood should be added to the 4 Ps. Where else can you empty a Mooncup?Grin

endofthelinefinally · 12/09/2017 16:18

In SE Asia toilets either have a built in bidet system or a spray hose and everyone washes their bum after using the loo. Their plumbing isnt designed for flushing anything much.

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