Never flush
- Wipes, even ones labelled flushable
- Paper towels and tissues
- Dental floss and hair
- Cotton swabs and pads
- Medications and cooking grease
Why wipes cause trouble
Wipes do not break down like toilet paper. They snag on rough pipe joints and roots, building a plug that grows over weeks.
What to do instead
- Keep a small bin with a lid in every bathroom.
- Return old medicines to a pharmacy.
- Put grease in a container and then in the garbage.
- Teach children what goes in the toilet.
Kitchen sinks too
Coffee grounds, rice, pasta and grease are the worst for kitchen drains. Use the green bin.
Flushable wipes are a particular headache for the Region's pumping stations, and the Region has campaigned about them for years. Treat every wipe as garbage.
Feminine hygiene products, condoms and cat litter, even the flushable kind, belong in the garbage too. Each one can snag in a lateral or a pump and start a blockage that grows over time.
Rather hand it over? Our plumbers handle backwater valve installation and main shut-off valve replacement along with everything else on our residential plumbing list.