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

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

What about animal shit?

I've been removing cat shit from the litter tray -with gloves, so just the poo, and flushing, as apparently it's not supposed to go in the bins either.

Which is more appropriate, bin or loo?

I am the mother of teenagers who frequently have friends for a sleepover ( male and female ). How do I raise the subject of not flushing tampons etc to girls I dont know who are already embaressed about being "on" whilst in a strange house.

I still use bleach to clean my toilet - is that acceptable in this day and age? What are the environmental impacts?

We've just had raw sewage floating in our garden thanks to a blocked drain .... The blockage was mainly caused by sanitary towels ...

Please don't flush anything other than bodily fluids down the loo!

Could there be some sort of symbol or sticker system whereby things are more easily identifiable as to whether they are flushable or not?

Slightly different question: what are the water companies doing to get manufacturers (voluntarily or not) to stop labelling as flushable things that water companies don't want flushed? It's frankly daft to have a constant battle to tell consumers that packets lie, rather than changing the packets.

Followup: suppose we take as given that people must have their moist toilet tissue and won't keep it used in their bathrooms in ordinary bins with everything else, even in plastic bags. What's the best (cheapest? most environmentally friendly?) way to get there? Redesigned tissue? Special odour-proof bins? An army of solids-catching robots roaming the sewers?

Will your campaign be aimed soley at adults or will it try and educate children as well so that they learn too and it becomes second nature to them.

advertising has not helped, I can clearly remember seeing the lady cleaning her bathroom flushing away the wipe down the toilet. There needs to be more information, awareness in the media, social media, tv and radio - are there any plans to promote awareness of this issue. I love my anti bac wipes, and am very conscious that they do not Biodegrade, and put them in the toilet bin, but feel there are too many people who think sadly that it is not their problem. Can you promote ?

can we have an 80's style gross&shocking public service film about the implications of flushing unflushables.

Can cotton wool be flushed?

I buy moist toilet wipes..... well, because it's more hygienic & easier when you have to wipe little bottoms! But.... on the pack they say flushable & biodegradable..... but is that true?

I thought it was no to cotton wool and no to moist wipes too.

What nobody has mentioned is that you can buy "mist" that you carry with you and spray onto toilet paper before use to make it more "cleansing". Not tried it myself but it would solve the clogging problem with wipes.

Or just get a bidet

"mist"

water, perhaps?

Well yes, but the product claims are that it's less likely to make the paper disintegrate instantly than a simple water spray. Dunno.

I tend to throw left over food down the pan, like gravy and smooth soup, when I've made it in my soup maker and it's not as good as I though it would be, is this ok?

Is it ok to flush 100% natural cat litter these days?

flushing wipes blocks your pipes. (Severn Trent)

not chicken carcasses like some idiot flushed near us.

only flush: natural bodily functions and proper toilet paper. (and only a bit of that at a time if your pipes go round several right angles before decending!) though thanks to ex I am great at unblocking toilets.

oh and watch what you put down the kitchen sink as well. oil soaked into kitchen paper in the bin and remaining oil wiped from the pan

Surely not cat litter?!

My question is the wipes that are labelled 'flushable' are they actually safe to flush ? I never dare just incase . And if there not safe how can the company advertise that shouldn't it be stopped ?

I've seen many a drain blocked with what looks like letter papers, food and plastic tops!..Have you got a campaign to get it over to households how damaging this is to the environment and what it causes to the drains.

Also can you trace back to were it comes from? perhaps issue a fine or post posters explaining there could be a fine if caught!

I live in a row of four houses! I am very careful with what I flush
Our drains always seem to be blocked and when I ask my neighbours they seem to have the same problem too
They tell me that they only flush wet wipes and loo roll, surely you cannot flush baby wipes?
I didn't want to say anything and offend but I am hoping the plumber will tell them.
Is there anything I can do to prevent our toilet from blocking?

The rule in our house is bodily functions and toilet paper down the loo only! Although my younger children keep trying to flush a whole loo roll down the toilet at once!

I use smal cotton wool pads to cleanse my face, can they be flushed?