A toilet is not for garbage (From Gazette Series)

A toilet is not for garbage

WESSEX Water is stepping up its campaign to stop people using their toilet as a rubbish bin.

Blockages caused by people using their toilets and sinks to dispose of rubbish rather than throwing it in their bin are far too common and so now the company is advising customers to take steps to avoid drain pain.

Throwing nappies, condoms, cotton buds and plasters down the toilet may seem harmless, but it all builds up in the pipes running beneath your house or road and one day may cause a major blockage. And it is not just in the bathroom that

Wessex Water is urging people to Wise up to Waste, but also in the kitchen, as cooking fat which has been poured down the sink causes big problems when it cools and sets in sewers.

The Bag it and Bin it campaign hopes to educate people about what is safe to flush down the toilet and what should be thrown in the bin and what to do with left-over cooking fat.

"Around 75 percent of all blockages are caused by disposable items being flushed down the toilet and getting stuck in the pipes," said Paul Damon, network customer manager.

"We want people to realise that toilets are not rubbish bins and that throwing things such as nappies, sanitary towels and condoms down the toilet can cause big problems.

"The sewerage system is not designed to deal with such items being flushed away and in many cases the drain connecting your home to the mains sewer is no bigger than four inches and so can easily become blocked if something big is flushed away.

"Unfortunately the message doesn't seem to be getting through to some people, as we continue to be called out to sewers blocked by sanitary, and other similar products which have been carelessly disposed of down the toilet.

"Just because an item is disposable, that doesn't always mean it can be flushed away. Wrap it up if necessary and throw it in the bin, just as you would with any other rubbish."

Wessex Water has been taking the Bag it and Bin it message across the region on its roadshow, and have been handing out fat traps to customers to store their used fat after cooking. The fat is left to cool in the container and can then be scooped out and thrown in the bin, rather than tipping the hot fat down the sink where it congeals and causes blockages.