What’s the issue?
We remove hundreds of tonnes of unwanted bathroom products and kitchen waste from our sewerage system each year.
Across Australia, it’s costing the community millions of dollars to deal with the issues these products cause. They can block your pipes, clog up our systems and have long-term impacts on the environment.
The main causes of blocked pipes in homes and in the sewerage network are:
- Flushing wet wipes, cotton buds, sanitary products and other rubbish down the toilet.
- Washing cooking fats, oils, grease and food scraps down the sink.
These type of materials can bank up and cause overflows. This can be a health and environmental nightmare, with raw sewage overflowing into homes, backyards and local waterways. It can also mean costly plumbing repairs on your property.
We suggest you place a bin in your bathroom and toilet to dispose of personal hygiene products such as wipes, sanitary napkins, tampons, cotton buds, Band Aids and shaving blades, all which should never be flushed.
There is a standard (AS/NZS 5328, Flushable Products) for testing and labelling ‘flushable’ products. However, be aware that some products may carry a similar looking symbol and not meet the standard.
More than 400 tonnes of medicines are thrown out in Australia each year. One of the most common means of disposal is down the sink or toilet. Make sure you return expired or unused medicines to your local pharmacy.
Remember – never flush anything other than the three Ps – Pee, Poo and (toilet) Paper down the toilet.
Fats, oils and grease should never go down the drain. When oil and grease hit the cool water in your wastewater pipes, they harden. They then combine with other waste to form a hard blockage known as a ‘fatberg’.
Wipe greasy pans and dishes with a paper towel and dispose of it in your kitchen bin. Always make sure you let the oils and fats cool to a safe temperature before handling.
Other waste such as coffee grounds and food scraps should be composted. Use a sink strainer to catch small pieces of food. Before rinsing fruit, remove the label. These small, sticky labels are non-biodegradable. Individually, small scraps of food and other waste might not seem a problem, but they clump together in the sewerage system.
Hazardous chemicals used for home and garden maintenance, such as paints and pesticides, can corrode pipes and damage the environment. They also pose a health threat to our maintenance staff working on sewers.
Contact your local council for safe disposal options.
Blockages due to trees
Tree roots commonly cause damage to sewerage pipes. They can enter small cracks in your pipes to seek out nutrients and then continue to grow. As they grow, they take up more space and slow down your drainage. This can eventually cause a blockage.
Signs of a blockage include slow drainage, gurgling noises or odours coming from drains.
Try not to plant trees within six metres of sewerage pipes. Your local nursery can advise on trees and their root systems.
