Flushing wet wipes

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I see a lot of threads about why it’s bad to flush wipes down the toilet and to put them in the bin instead. I don’t understand how that’s better as then we are creating more rubbish and adding to the land fill sites instead?

My garden was forever full of sewage as the flat up stairs didn't realise you couldn't flush nappies. I still find my self wondering how they even managed it.

Anyone who cares about all of the above wouldn't flush them, despite what it says on the packaging

The experts say that even the wipes that are promoted as "flushable" aren't as they do not disintegrate in water.

Tampons definitely were marketed as flushable 20 years ago and yes with sanitary towels you were told to rip in half and flush, my mum certainly did this. We bin ours though

In the early 80's when I started my periods, tampons and sanitary towels were definitely marketed as flushable. STs you had to tear in half before flushing. I admit to flushing tampons until I started using a mooncup 10 years ago

Tbf some wipes are marketed as flushable, why would anyone question that?

That's why I believe a big fat fine to these manufacturers would be a good starting point.

There will always be people with no common sense at all and can't see passed their own selfishness and convenience.

OP I can't believe you're naive enough to think the toilet is a magical device that makes matter disappear, of course it goes somewhere and as others have said that somewhere is the sewerage system or overflows into rivers.
If something is branded as "flushable" it literally just means that it can be flushed. Doesn't mean it should! Put an unused one in a Tupperware box and give it a shake, you'll see that they don't break down at all.

Why would you flush them, unless of course you want to block your drains and your neighbours'. Even the flushable wipes should not be flushed down the loo as they eventually cause the same problems.

Oh gosh, I remember ripping ST in half and flushing. They weren’t like the single packaged ones we have nowadays. It was bloody gross having to tear them in half - the little particles inside would spill. Looking back now, it is weird that we were told to do this! It wouldn’t even occur to me to flush one nowadays.

if you flush them they will go to landfill as well.
either at water treatment plant where all the wipes, condoms, tampons are sifted out or after the fatberg has been dismantled

Why use them at all? If paper isn't enough - and it is for most people - get in the shower, or get one of those bum guns.

@IHaveBrilloHair, I think they were marketed as flushable, was always told to rip in half and flush but perhaps they believed back then that they were?? It makes me cringe when I come across people who still do this! I remember when I first got my period in the 90s, my mum was still using these big thick pads called Dr Whites or something. I went in this retreat type thing at an old converted convent and obviously the plumbing was ancient. I had my period and of course, blocked the toilet trying to dispose of the pad. I was mortified!

There will always be people with no common sense at all and can't see passed their own selfishness and convenience

You could say this about so many things though?! Think about how many women still use disposable tampons and sanitary towels when there are so many alternatives.

Amazing that there are still folks who don't know that toilets are not rubbish bins

I know, plastics and other crap in the oceans has been in every media source pretty much constantly for the last couple of years. How on earth do you manage not to notice?

Tbf some wipes are marketed as flushable, why would anyone question that

Manufacturers put all sorts of lies on their packaging, mostly to encourage people to use more by being wasteful. Why would anyone take notice of any of it?

I don’t understand how that’s better as then we are creating more rubbish and adding to the land fill sites instead?

Assuming they do make it to the waste water plant they get screened out along with other sanipro in the "rag screen" before going into a skip and landfill. So actually you are just creating a blockage risk and not preventing them going to landfill.
Maybe not buy them in the first place, use a reusable cloth?

Oh and please spare a thought. Even modern Ragscreens do need to be manually unblocked now and again .

I spent time in a plant with a very old rag screen, screenings (mainly sanipro) were manually shovelled from a trough into the skip. The most disgusting job I have seen anybody do.

The op didn’t say any wipes were being flushed- it was the difference between sewer and land fill that was the question

My dad is currently doing "research" (as he calls it). He's bought 5 packets of different flushable wipe brands and has put one wipe into its own jar of water to see how long each one takes to biodegrade.

I think he said he'd started this 5 weeks ago and so far not one looks like it's breaking down at all.

He's going to do another experiment with water and bleach.

I suggested a jar of pee but he didn't seem keen

You could say this about so many things though?! Think about how many women still use disposable tampons and sanitary towels when there are so many alternatives

you're not supposed to flush sanitary protection either.

you're not supposed to flush sanitary protection either.

I actually didn't know that. I mean, obviously pads would be an issue and should not be flushed, but I kind of assumed tampons just break down. Don't have periods these days due to contraception, but will let DSD know this.

you're not supposed to flush sanitary protection either

Yes I know I wasn’t even talking about flushing them, just using them

We buy flushable wet wipes.

I think there is only one brand of wipes that are genuinely flushable and "endorsed" by the water companies and they are only recent. I can't remember which brand it is though 🤦🏻‍♀️

Natracare are the first "fine to flush" wipes.

www.theguardian.com/money/2019/feb/26/first-fine-to-flush-wet-wipes-approved-in-drive-to-tackle-fatbergs

I don't understand how people can be this stupid.

Baby wipes don't break down, nor do toilet wipes. Of course they're going to block the drain.

Best solution is not to buy any, use washable wipes. They've been the best investment I ever had. I now can't believe how bad normal wipes are at getting rid of poo compared to the washable ones.

It amazes me that, in an era where we can get film footage of planets light years away, we still haven't managed to crack soluble or compostable wet wipes and sanpro.

Mind you, my divvy neighbours flushed disposable nappies and kitchen roll and blocked the shared drain.