With the busy holiday season just around the corner, MidCoast Council is reminding everyone that when it comes to wet wipes, chuck 'em in the bin, not the loo.
Each summer the MidCoast experiences a noticeable increase in sewer blockages, with a build up of wet wipes often found to be the cause.
These blockages are not only extremely unpleasant for Council's operational staff to attend to, they can also cause costly damage to pipes and pumps, and in some cases even lead to sewage overflowing into waterways and other sensitive areas.
Council's Director of Infrastructure and Engineering Services, Rob Scott, said it was an issue that could easily be avoided.
"Flushing wet wipes down the toilet may seem like a harmless thing to do, but the reality is it costs us hundreds of thousands of dollars in unplanned maintenance and damage to our sewer system every year," said Mr Scott.
"The wipes can become entangled with other objects and materials that don't break down in our sewer system and clog up our pumps, or they can combine with fats and oils that've been poured down people's sinks to create what's known as a 'fatberg', which can essentially block up the whole sewer pipe.
"Then there's the plumber's bill you'll have to deal with if they block up your internal plumbing, which won't be cheap."
The easiest way to avoid issues with wet wipes is to put them in the bin when you're finished with them, not the loo. This goes for so-called 'flushable' wipes as well, which despite the misleading messaging don't break down in the sewer system and cause the same problems as other wipes.
Nappies, pads, tampons and other sanitary items should also be placed in the bin.
Mr Scott said it was best to stick to the 3Ps rule - the only things that should be flushed down the toilet are pee, poo and (toilet) paper.
Council will be spreading the message throughout the holidays in an effort to reduce blockages.
"We'll be working with our local caravan parks and accommodation providers to help visitors understand the problem, and also getting signs up in our public toilets to remind people where the wipes should go," said Mr Scott.
"We know it's not just tourists who flush wet wipes down the loo, because we see the problem year-round, but there's definitely an increase at this time of year because our population swells so much."
