{"id":256100,"date":"2020-04-01T18:34:41","date_gmt":"2020-04-01T08:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=256100"},"modified":"2020-07-11T12:18:30","modified_gmt":"2020-07-11T02:18:30","slug":"stop-flushing-wipes-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/04\/01\/stop-flushing-wipes-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Flushing Wipes … Now"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
A comparison of recent sewer blockages compared with the same time last year (Graph: TRC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 1, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

Toowoomba Regional Council is urging the community to only flush toilet paper after a rise in pipe blockages during the past two months<\/p>\n

Water and Waste General Manager Damian Platts said the community must stop flushing wipes, nappies and paper towels, even if branded “disposable”.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last four months, Council has seen an increase of around 25 per cent in sewer blockages from the previous 12 months with significant increases in February and March,\u201d Mr Platts said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPutting the wrong thing down the toilet and sink causes blockages and breakdowns in our wastewater systems. It can lead to unnecessary expense, reduced treatment efficiency and environmental problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlockages caused by foreign matter, mostly non-flushable wipes are avoidable.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlushing the wrong thing down the toilet leads to costly blockages in the network, especially at sewer pump stations and at the wastewater treatment plants.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlocked pipes cause pumps to seize, meaning costs are incurred in de-commissioning and then re-commissioning this vital equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the treatment plants, it collects on screens and needs to be cleaned manually.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlockages in pipes are caused by tree root infiltration and the build-up of fats. Non-disposable wipes compound this problem, increasing the size of the blockage and making removal more difficult.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe simple solution is to avoid placing these items down the toilet.”<\/p>\n

Mr Platts said doing the wrong thing was flushing ratepayer dollars down the toilet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been 50 additional tasks involving the clearing of blockages in civil infrastructure in February compared to last year, costing an additional $43,559,\u201d Mr Platts said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince December last year to February this year, there have been 168 sewer pipe blockages costing the ratepayer just under $158,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cApart from the cost to ratepayers, there is the potential for environmental damage.”<\/p>\n