Officials: Flushable wipes can hurt wastewater treatment systems

With toilet paper becoming scarce since the novel coronavirus outbreak, people without it are turning to other personal hygiene products such as flushable wipes and those are ending up in wastewater treatment systems.

They may be advertised as "flushable" but wipes that end up in the wastewater system can cause some major cleanup problems for city or county crews and they are asking people to not flush them down the toilet.

Workers are seeing more bathroom wipes, disinfecting wipes, paper towels, napkins, diapers and personal hygiene products being flushed. The problem has gotten worse as some residents worry about the shortage of toilet paper due to the coronavirus situation and are forced to use the aforementioned materials other than toilet paper in the bathroom. But when that material ends up in the wastewater system, it can cause major blockages which can cost thousands of dollars to clean and possibly be a health hazard.

If using non-toilet paper materials to wipe, throw it away after use rather than flushing it. This simple step will help keep the wastewater systems flowing smoothly, saving taxpayer dollars.