Ask Southern Water’s experts about ‘The Unflushables’ - items that could cause a sewer flood in your home - £150 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[AmeliaMumsnet]

Every year in England and Wales water companies deal with over 300,000 blockages, many of which are caused by common household items being flushed down the toilet. That’s why Southern Water, along with the Consumer Council for Water, have launched ‘The Unflushables’, a campaign to help people protect themselves from the misery of sewer flooding. Many products that have been labelled as ‘flushable’ can actually contribute to these types of problems, so, to clear up some of the confusion, the team at Southern Water are offering you the opportunity to ask some of your burning, sewer-related questions to their expert, Sharon Holdstock!

Here’s what Southern Water have to say: “‘The Unflushables’ campaign aims to help people know how to properly dispose of fat, oil, grease and unflushable items like wipes, tampons, nappies and condoms. It’s designed to help customers understand the impact a sewage flood in their house can have – and provide some hints and tips to help prevent it.”

Post any questions you might have about ‘The Unflushables’ - how to dispose of them, what can and can’t be flushed, or how to get into good habits to prevent sewer flooding, and we’ll pick 20 for Sharon to answer. Everyone who posts their questions will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky Mumsnetter will win a £150 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Here is some information about Sharon Holdstock:

Sharon is currently Southern Water’s Field Customer Engagement Officer, and has been with the company for five years. She travels to areas that have been affected by flooding caused by blocked drainage systems and advises people on what not to flush, giving talks and presentations around the community. She is passionate about this project, and about the importance of getting the message out to as many people as possible to help them protect their homes and the environment.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw,

MNHQ

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Would there be a way to push manufacturers to make wipes that are actually flushable? I know they aren't so always pop in a nappy bag and then jnto bin, but it seems a faff and I can see why people might just flush and hope for the best. Thing is, I find loo roll just doesn't do the trick with what my children produce!

Also, educating business and employers etc about always having discreet bins might help in those situations.

Do cleaning products affect the drainage system or help in any way?

If a 'flushable' toilet wipe is marked as biodegradable, is that ok to flush?

Are the 'flushable' nappy liners actually OK to flush??

Can you put coffee grounds down the sink?

I saw a tip on here a few weeks ago about disposing of sloppy foods like soup down the toilet (lumps so down the sink no good, but sloppy so bag no good) it's not something I had ever considered but they said it would only have ended up there in the end if it had been eaten anyway, and it was no different to sick which often goes down the toilet. It kind of made sense to me but still didn't feel right, a poster later said it was a bad thing to do but there was argument about whether it was or not

SO can you flush uneaten sloppy foods like soup

Yes the main issue I have is with moist toilet tissue (bum wipes!) - it does say flushable on the packet but I'm not sure if they really are? But also don't really want to put in bathroom bin. And using nappy bags for them that will then end up in landfill seems to defeat the environmental effect too.

Do waste disposal units have an adverse effect on our plumbing and the environment?

My husband pours unused gravy down the toilet, we reliably argue every Sunday because of this (I should make less / eat more gravy as a marriage guidance strategy). Who is correct, me saying he shouldn't as it could clog the drains, or him in asserting it won't?

Having spoken to Severn Trent I know that wipes - even if they say flushable - are not, and should not go down the loo.

Are there are any types of loo roll we should avoid - i.e. Quilted .?

We have a communal drain in our garden and it's really upsetting me having to go back to my neighbours every six months ( when their sewage over spills the drain in our garden ) asking them not to flush sanitary products and wipes down the loo.

There is a real lack of knowledge around what's wise to flush - you only have to read threads on here to see that.

I don't flush anything other than toilet paper and body waste and bang on to the kids about the same.

I'm not a fan of harsh cleaning products so tend to lob vinegar down the loo to deal with limescale- is that acceptable?

Similar to PP about soup and gravy, but what about cereal? My dc tend to overfill their bowls and if they don't finish it we get a soggy milky mess!

Oh God, the milky cereal leftovers....! My kid does this. I can only recommend supervising their milk-pouring, and sieving the mess if they do put in too much.

Can I ask about waste disposal units? I think a lot of people use these like a bin, but I am pretty sure you are supposed to minimise the amount of crap that gets whizzed in there.

Left over soup and casseroles! In all seriousness, my mother had always poured liquid-based food products down the loo rather than the sink, as she doesn't want the bin running with fetid gravies. Is this OK or is it causing issues further down the line?

They are not grossly oily, but will have meat, veg, lentils etc in there.

Another toilet paper one! Is there a type of paper which is better to flush? We are patiently teaching a four year old to wipe his bottom properly but this seems to take quite a stash of toilet roll. Like others have said wouldn't be too pleasant hanging around in our bin - or bins of friends when we visit.

My mum has form for flushing left over food. I don't. Please support my argument!!!

Is it really that big a problem? I mean are that many people flushing what they shouldn't? It's fairly simple, we only flush bodily excretions or toilet paper. Everything else is bagged and binned.

Cleaning out the cafetière is a chore I hate. Can coffee grounds go down the sink or should I keep trying to scrape them all out into the bin? Am thinking of getting a coffee machine just to not have to do this!

For various reasons there are two of us in our house who are unable to use toilet paper, so are there any wipes that are safely flushable?

Are flushable nappy liners (for reusable nappies) okay?

You sweet naive thing Nautical
www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/23586290/britains-biggest-fatberg-removed-from-london-sewer

How do moist toilet tissue, the 'flushable' kind, differ from baby wipes?

Agree there does need to be more publicity about what is and isn't flushable - our shared drain has been blocked more than once by our neighbour who's got it into her head if something will flush away from the bowl then it's "flushable" - expensive evidence to the contrary with drain blocked with her wipes doesn't seem to stop her.

So your supposed to have used pooey wet wipes sitting in a bin? That's really gross and it's not like the bins going to get emptied each time.

If you have one of those fancy nappy bins that bagged stuff each time it would be ok but that's a lot of plastic bags going to landfill.

Older you flush wet wipes?! I must admit I've always known I wasn't supposed to flush wet wipes. Just as I wouldn't flush a nappy.

From a selfish perspectives you avoid blocking your own drain as well as wider environmental impact.