Not allowed to flush loo roll

[userc]

Looking for advice please.

Live in a rented apartment, there are ongoing issues with drainage which management have largely ignored for the last couple of years (i.e., dealing with emergencies and then not taking advice that proper maintenance was needed). Big flood yesterday. Pipe is "compromised" and apparently is a big job to replace due to various structural issues.

Have now been instructed that toilet paper must not be flushed down and instead must be taken to general waste, which is down 6 flights of stairs and across the road for people on the top floors. Email breezily states other countries do this as a matter of course, and that we need to adjust our habits. They do not give a date as to when this is fixed, but it is likely to be months (I heard six).

AIBU to think this is crackers? You have a guest round, you insist they must put toilet roll in a bin and if it's a poo you'll just nip out across the road?!

If I was in a big family home that I owned I'd move to something like reuseable cloths or installing a bidet, but this is something I can't afford nor feel like I should be forced to. E.g., I run my washing machine twice a week (& don't have a tumble dryer) and it's already incredibly expensive.

Any advice?

Op I use hot water to clear blocked loos (looking at you dh) rather than using implements which get mucky etc. I let water sink a little & fill slowly with hot water from tap - it tend to pong but it gradually dissolves the solids & the tissue as the water becomes more hot. I hate people (looking at you dh) clearing it with loo brush or metal hangers (what the heck do you do with them after? ) I actually rinse loos with tide marks with hot water before I use loo brush so it doesn't get poo on it. yuck

I’m wondering what exactly you want them to do here OP. The fact is, the pipe is compromised and flushing loo roll aggravates it. Unless you’d prefer a poo geyser flooding through your home I’d suggest you deal with it for the time being.

What you can absolutely do is lobby for a quicker fix date.

@Viviennemary The practice has gone on since sewerage pipes were first laid in those countries, a long long time before the EU was even thought of.
I would get onto the environmental health OP as others have advised. I can't imagine that they would be at all happy and may even make a compulsory order against the landlord for the remedial work to be carried out satisfactory within a certain time frame.

I'd be wanting a refund or alternative accommodation.

If you are renting then this is a landlord problem. You need to start engaging with them first as the flat owner, who is responsible for it, and for communicating with the management company as the Leaseholder/Freeholder.

If the plumbing can't be fixed in a reasonable timeframe I'd be asking for a rent reduction for the considerable inconvenience and the fact you are not recieving all the services you've contracted to receive from the property (like a working toilet!). Alternatively you could request the landlord release you from the tenancy (do you want to move if it is going to be 6 months?). If landlord won't be reasonable then you will have to seek advice from Council etc about what your rights are in these circumstances, and of course talk to other residents to see what they are planning to do. A joint action in dealing with the mgt co will be more effective.

The reality is large scale drainage works may take some time whilst they get quotes and then book the contractors. In my block of flats there are Sections of the lease that require all works over a certain cost to obtain at least 3 quotes and select the best value, & that's pretty common. If a quick temporary repair isn't possible, then it could potentially be months, even if the management company act quickly. So you have to decide what you want at this stage, assuming there will be some delay in the repairs.

Even in Greece, this is now only the norm in small tavernas etc. Most hotels have modern plumbing so you can flush. Definitely don't put up with this.

It’s a PITA, I used to live in Latin America and this was really common. Use a small bin/pot with a lid and small bin bags. Close the bag without pushing the air out, like closing a bag with the contents of the hoover, tie tightly and disinfectant the bin before replacing a fresh bag.

We used to empty the bin twice each day.How many in your household? That kind of dictates how often you need to change the bag during a day

Hope it gets sorted very soon.

I was in a block where only the old izal medicated could be used. That was awful. I'd have gone for a bin and soft tissue every time, given the choice!

No idea why izal was better than tissue. Hey ho.

Have you tried asking for a discount on the rent?

Coyld you ask the landlord to arrange and pay for a daily collection and safe/legal disposal service for all this paper they don't want you to put down the loo?

Some of the rules relating to needing to get multiple quotes etc I think don’t apply for emergencies, and the risk of raw sewage flooding out of a broken pipe certainly seems like an emergency. That might happen even if all your neighbours do as asked. The LL needs to be pressured to fix it urgently. There’s not much worse than sewer flooding.

Thanks for the tips! That does sound like a PITA.

It's just me, but the flat is really poorly ventilated (and no bathroom window) so I was already paranoid about potential smells even without keeping used toilet paper in a bin :/

Wtf. That is not acceptable. It is a major issue that should be sorted in a couple of days maximum. A basic requirement of living is to be able to use a toilet AND FLUSH IT.

Definitely report them. Don't wait the six months. Push for them to sort it now. Can't believe they're treating you like this.

We had this for a few weeks last month. We (and two NDN) had a new liner put into our drains, which then partially collapsed, so we could not put toilet roll down until they came out and fixed it again.

We used cloth wipes, and guests managed too. I had some of the cloth wipes I used for DD left and a cheeky wipes 'dirty' box from then too (kept it for cloth sanitary towels). I do run a wash most days though.

I think you either have to use cloth wipes and wash more often or accept that you will be binning used toilet rolls. I think cloth is definitely the preferable option.

As for the landlord side of it, bill them for a complete cheeky wipes set up and money to pay the increased, alternate day, washing (insist on a rent reduction).

I don't think that approach is going to work here.

This one is a big job.

Breezily suggest that the management swap homes with you until the problem is fixed.

This isn't necessarily the case. We're currently doing this as have a problem with our pipe (it has blistered internally so that's basically made it narrower.) Binning the loo roll means DH isn't having to rod the sewer pipe once a week so it's definitely working for us. However, in our case we own the house and this is a temporary measure while we wait for the drainage company to come and replace the pipe. (We're also not demanding it of guests - we figure the system will probably cope and are aware it's a bit disgusting - but the alternative of having to regularly rod the sewer is pretty horrid too.)

To OP, I think if they're asking you to do it for a week or so while they fix the pipe it's not ideal but it might be the only option where you can still use your loo. If, on the other hand, this is an ongoing open ended situation and they just want you to carry on doing it, that's a no.

Just got back from Greece, it’s really not a big deal, just chan he the bin every day. I’d say the downside is you use a bit more paper so the dirt side can be folded away more. Would be ok with this for up to a few months.

It’s hardly conducive to an evening out when you go to a toilet in a restaurant and you are sat on the loo faced with everyone else’s streak marked toilet roll tumbling out of an over flowing bin

Whilsy other countries might do this. You don’t live in these countries. You live (I presume in the U.K. which has a perfectly good drainage and sewerage system that means you don’t have to do this.
The problem lies with the management company. If they can’t afford to maintain the block could the residents/owners of the flats take over the management of the block themselves.

I lived in south america for a while, this is standard practice there. Biological waste flushed down the toilet, toilet paper goes into a bin. It might not be ideal if you are not used to it but it won't do you any harm. The "six flights of stairs" issue seems irrelevant, presumably you are already taking general waste out to the bin anyway, or leaving your flat to go to work/anywhere.

So…

I wouldn’t rent out a property in another country but force the tenants to live culturally like they were in the U.K. just to avoid any important maintenance.

If the pipe is compromised it’s just a matter of time before the people downstairs get a leak. The water bill will also increase if water is leaking.

Why does Greece opt for this system? Is it to save the oceans and water around them?

Anyway OP you are not in Greece. What would happen if all the flats flushed at the same time would that clear it?

What if someone gets covid and is bed bound for days and can just about hobble to the loo

It's called sovereignty sweetiepies. Yes, that sovereignty.

WTF. Are you the OP's landlord??

Millions of people in the world have no access to indoor toilets. Does that mean we should "get used to" having to walk down to the local park to add up to the pile of wee and poo? No FGS.

The OP is in the UK, where plumbing can take toilet paper. She is paying UK level rent prices. Environmental health rules apply.

OP you should have a chat with your landlord. Right now the flat has no usable toilet. They can provide alternative accommodation,free of charge hygienic disposal bins with daily removal or a substantial discount. Either that or environmental health, MP and local press.