Northumbrian Water′s fight against fatbergs received a boost today with the publication of a new official standard identifying which wet wipes can be flushed down toilets safely.
Manufacturers of wipes will be able to feature an official water industry ‘Fine to Flush′ symbol on their packaging if they pass strict scientific tests.
This symbol will let customers across the North East know that the products don′t contain plastic and will break down in the sewer system instead of clogging up sewers and contributing to fatbergs, which cause blockages and sewage overflows.
Fatbergs - mainly caused by a build-up of wet wipes, fats, oils and grease into a solid mass - have been increasing in frequency in recent years. These include a 250-metre long fatberg in Whitechapel in London in 2017 which weighed as much as nineteen elephants, and a 64-metre fatberg which was discovered blocking a sewer this week in Sidmouth, Devon.
In 2017, the biggest ever in-depth investigation of sewer blockages in the UK proved that wipes being flushed down toilets caused serious problems in the sewerage system. The project found that non-flushable wet wipes could make up around 93% of the material causing some sewer blockages. These wipes - which included a high proportion of baby wipes - are not designed to be flushed.
Northumbrian Water′s Wastewater Director, Richard Warneford, said: "Blocked pipes can cause so much damage to our networks, our customers′ homes and the environment, so it′s great that our fight against fatbergs will be boosted through this new official ‘Fine to Flush′ standard.
"While we will continue to work with manufacturers to make sure that they′re passing the most stringent tests, it is still better to not flush wet wipes at all. The best advice for keeping our sewer network flowing is to only flush toilet paper, pee and poo and to put fats, oils and greases in a bin."
Commenting on the new ‘Fine to Flush′ standard Water UK Chief Executive Michael Roberts said: "This is an important step in the battle against blockages. We′ve all seen the impact of fatbergs recently, and we want to see fewer of them. Improving the environment is at the core of what the water industry does, and the new ‘Fine to Flush′ standard that we′ve created will make it easier for consumers to buy an environmentally-friendly product instead of one which clogs up drains and sewers."
Manufacturers can have their wipes tested by WRc, the Swindon-based independent technical experts who developed the specifications for flushability standards in conjunction with Water UK. If they pass the tests, the wipes manufacturers will receive the ‘Fine to Flush′ symbol from WRc.
Although there has been an increase in products being labelled ‘Do Not Flush′, there are many wipes on the market labelled ‘Flushable′ which do not break down quickly when they enter the sewer system, and which would not pass the stringent tests which meet the standard to receive the ‘Fine to Flush′ symbol. The labelling of these products can cause confusion amongst consumers, increasing the problem of sewer blockages.
In 2017, around 13,000 blockages had to be cleared across the North East, made up of things wrongly put down the drains. It costs Northumbrian Water nearly £400,000 every year, sending wipes, sanitary towels and cotton buds to landfill, where the items should have gone in the first place.
Blockages can also lead to sewer flooding, creating misery for homeowners and businesses, leading to high clean-up bills and increased insurance costs. Sewer flooding also has a major impact on the environment.
The technical name for ‘Fine to Flush′ is Water Industry Specification 4-02-06, and the full details of the specification can be found on the Water UK website.
Manufacturers can contact WRc to find out more about the process for having their wipes tested and receiving the official ‘Fine to Flush′ symbol.