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

Blokes in boiler suits and waders with shovels.

I sometimes pour soup that has gone off down the toilet, is this ok?

Is it ok to flush old tablets and medicines down the toilet to dispose of them?
I don't like to have them hanging around the house but I don't always have time to take them to the pharmacy and I don't like the idea of just putting them in the bin.

...where do you imagine your (now dissolved) old tablets and medicines then end up, AngelwingsPetlamb? It contaminates the water supply, ends up in fish and wildlife, and circulates back to us.

It's a terrible, terrible idea which directly damages the environment and other people. Please don't ever do it.

Are there any particular environmental issues I should be aware of with regards to the chemicals we put down the toilet? I use bleaches, toilet cleaners, those block things that go under the rim, blu -loo type products, you name it. I've always been aware of what shouldn't be flushed but never really thought about what else goes down the loo before.

Anyone else thinking that Southern Water's disappearance from this thread makes them a likely candidate for the poo troll?

You haven't actually read the OP have you trump?

What is the most common item that gets flushed down the toilet that causes a serious sewer problem? It might surprise some people?

My question is: If wipes should not be flushed, what is the rule for toilet paper and tissue?

Whenever I mop the floor, the dirty water goes down the toilet when i've finished. Is that okay?

Toilet paper can be flushed! It disintegrates easily. Wipes can't, they don't. Put in bin/nappy bag.

Okay, it's a bit yucky, but I would like to ask about tampons. Please stop reading if you would rather!

My understanding was that you could flush the actual tampon away, but not the cardboard 'roll' that it comes in. But I have noticed a few mentions on this site that tampons are NOT flushable. So can you or can you not flush them? I always have flushed without a problem (so far).

Also, can you flush the paper wrapping the tampon comes in down the loo? I always assumed so being just paper, but I have noticed more and more that it does not flush.

Many thanks.

My child always takes wipes to the toilet and flushes grrr, resulting in lots of blockages, what would you recommend as an alternative that can be flushed but won't fall apart like toilet roll when wet?

As we know this problem is widely spread and people flushing down the toilet all kind of stuff - kitchen leftovers, tampons, wipes....kitchen paper.
Do you think it should be put more of pressure on manufactures of this kind of products to encourage them to produce biodegradable.
We never flush anything else than toilet paper and waste produced by our bodies.

What about Kitchen Roll ? - I sometimes flush this after using it to clean with a spray toilet cleaner as I presume it's more hygienic than a re-usable cloth ? - but we have a septic tank, so I need to get clued up about any 'Flushable Faux-pas'

Thanks

Are the "flushable" wipes really flushable? They seem a bit too strong to be safe.

Do you recommend any sort of regular treatment to prevent build up of matter and thereby prevent blockages
.

How can we dispose of cooking oil rather than flushing it down the toilet? We don't often cook with much oil, but if we were to, how should we dispose of it?

Is it safe to pour your dust from your vacuum into the toilet

It beggars belief that many people think that the sewage system "eats" unwanted items such as wet wipes, oil and tampons. What on earth d they think will happen to them. It's a product of consumerism and "out of sight, out of mind" mentality. We use moist toilet wipes which I understand are flushable, but how about traditional facial paper tissues?

Your moist toilet wipes are indeed "flushable" Stevey, just like cotton buds, wet wipes and tampons. They'll all disappear when you hit the flush button. But none of them will biodegrade effectively and they'll all cause blockages further down the pipe.

I'd like to see a fairer system for paying for drains to be unblocked. The drain near my old house used to get blocked all the time and because it was just outside our garden we had to pay for it to be fixed. It was always blocked full of tampons, sanitary towels and baby wipes - items that never flushed in my house, so they had obviously been flushed elsewhere.

Better education about what can and can't be flushed is a great thing, as I'm amazed at how many people still seem to flush sanitary products.

Is it safe to flush the contents of the mop bucket, which can sometimes contain hairs, bits of grit etc?

I do wonder why people flush things rather than put them in the bin? I know not everyone has food waste collections (so can't put oil or dust in there), but otherwise, that's what your dustbin is for!

Kitchen roll with cleaning chemicals, baby wipes, fat, cotton buds - put in the bin!

And use a flannel on your children's bottoms if toilet paper doesn't leave them sufficiently squeaky clean.

Hello. My husband keeps buying the posher loo roll that has added oils like aloe and coconut (eye rolling here...) are these worse environmentally when it comes to how quick they break down or the oils wrecking the water? I'd love to give him a better reason to not pick them up other than I'm a very tight person and only tend to buy cheap basics...

My family try really hard to care for the environment,we recycle as much as we can,never flush anything but toilet paper down the toilet and as for pouring fat or grease down the sink,no way.The question I have is,the new wet toilet paper that you can buy,van you flush it?,I say no but my husband thinks it can as it states that on the pack but I just don't believe it.I hope you can give me an answer to thi x