{"id":813,"date":"2020-04-14T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-14T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/covid-19-wipes-litter-clogging\/"},"modified":"2022-12-03T11:34:47","modified_gmt":"2022-12-03T16:34:47","slug":"covid-19-wipes-litter-clogging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/covid-19-wipes-litter-clogging\/","title":{"rendered":"Customers: Flushing Wipes Could Cost You, Damage Infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"big\">Due to a flood of sanitary wipes at the city\u2019s three Water Pollution Control Plants and 19 pumping stations, we are calling on residents to stop flushing anything other than toilet paper along with bathroom waste.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fb-root\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&#038;version=v6.0\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In recent years, you may have seen campaigns, like the video below, from cities and utilities designed to counter the erroneous belief that bathroom and sanitizing wipes are flushable:<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/THXeiHB4z2k\" width=\"560\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>But the COVID-19 emergency has resulted in an especially dramatic increase in flushed wipes\u2014<strong>and an increased potential for clogged pipes and damaged infrastructure. <\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"semibold\">\n<p>\u201cWe understand people want to be safe and are using more wipes these days but flushing any wipe or any material other than toilet paper can cause serious issues in homes and at our plants,\u201d <cite class=\"inline\"><strong>says Philadelphia Water Department Commissioner Randy E. Hayman<\/strong>.<\/cite> \u201cThese materials can create serious problems the moment you flush them. They clog pipes at homes, in the street, and at our facilities. We care about our customers and do not want people to endure the high cost and inconvenience of plumbing repairs, especially during this time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe strongly recommend against flushing anything but toilet paper. Even wipes sold as \u2018flushable\u2019 often don\u2019t have the science or regulations\u00a0to back up that claim, so it\u2019s a pricey gamble,\u201d <strong>Hayman added<\/strong><em>.<\/em> \u201cIf you use wipes for your hands or anything else, please toss them in the trash and dispose of them like you would other household waste. It may seem like a small thing, <strong>but it can have a big impact at a time when we need everyone to work together<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>PWD experts have found that in addition to bathroom and sanitizing wipes, baby wipes, surface cleaning wipes, and paper towels all cause infrastructure and plumbing problems.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed center\">\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PhillyH2O\/posts\/4338460142846888:0\" data-show-text=\"true\" data-width=\"500\">\n<blockquote cite=\"https:\/\/developers.facebook.com\/PhillyH2O\/posts\/4338460142846888:0\" class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\">\n<p>\ud83d\ude32 Pardon the gross photo, but this is the junk jamming up our sewers and it was taken BEFORE all the wipes, masks, and&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PhillyH2O\/\">Philadelphia Water Department<\/a> on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/developers.facebook.com\/PhillyH2O\/posts\/4338460142846888:0\">Wednesday, April 8, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Other commonly flushed items that can cause issues are prophylactics, tampons and other feminine hygiene products, tooth floss, and cigarette butts.<\/p>\n<h3>Wipes and Your Home Plumbing<\/h3>\n<p>Wipes, whether made from natural or synthetic materials, cause problems because they do not instantly dissolve like toilet paper. In homes, wipes and toilet paper can cause interior pipes to clog. Plumbers and Water Department inspectors also encounter customer-owned sewer laterals, the pipe connecting buildings to City sewers, jammed with wipes.<\/p>\n<p>This can cause sewage to back-up into homes or the street. Sewer lateral repairs can cost you upwards of tens of thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n<p>A property found to have a sewage leak or damage from a wipe-clogged sewer lateral may also receive a Notice of Defect, which provides a specified window of time, based on the severity and impact of the defect, to make repairs before customers face water shutoff. Currently, only properties creating safety and health hazards are being shut off.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Remember:<\/strong>If you have an issue caused by wipes, you must hire a private licensed plumber to make repairs. <strong>We cannot unclog your pipes.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Why Wipes Are an Infrastructure Nightmare<\/h3>\n<p>Once in the sewer system, wipes act like magnets for cooled fat and grease (also substances to keep out of plumbing at all costs) and can snowball into large blockages commonly referred to as \u201cfatbergs\u201d because of their size. Fatbergs can require major emergency sewer repairs and close streets for extended periods. They are a significant expense and headache for cities across the globe, with fatbergs weighing tons <a class=\"semibold\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2017\/09\/12\/550465000\/behold-the-fatberg-london-s-130-ton-rock-solid-sewer-blockage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">routinely making headlines<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>At PWD pumping stations, operators are working to maintain efficient operations as pumps and other equipment work overtime to pull the wipes through. <strong>The impacts are being felt at sites across the city:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>13 Sanitary pump stations<\/strong> impacted by wipes<\/li>\n<li><strong>3 Combined sewer stations<\/strong> impacted by flushed wipes and discarded gloves, masks, and other litter<\/li>\n<li><strong>3 Stormwater stations<\/strong> impacted by litter like gloves and masks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Recent inspections have found that materials slowing pumps and requiring stoppages to remove clogs are primarily sanitary wipes. Plant managers are adjusting operations to account for the surge in wipes and are conducting additional machinery inspections to prevent clogged pumps when possible.<\/p>\n<p>Once in the plant, wipes and other non-organic materials have to be mechanically collected by bar screens, transported by conveyor belt to dumpsters, and are then taken to a drying pad.<\/p>\n<p>After drying, they are taken by truck to a central location, where they are mixed with lime and hauled to a landfill for disposal. Here is a photo of litter on the &#8220;grit pad,&#8221; where drying takes place:<\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Piles of litter at PWD treatment plant. These plastic bottles had to be screened out along with wipes.\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/static\/img_1398-grit-pad_AosZayw.JPG\" \/><\/div>\n<h3>COVID-19 Litter Spike<\/h3>\n<p>Water Department officials are also joining other City departments to sound the alarm about rubber gloves and masks being discarded on sidewalks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed center\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Need to dispose of used gloves, masks, or sanitizing wipes? DO NOT put them in your recycling bin or throw them in the street. Help keep sanitation workers &#038; fellow residents safe by placing these items in the trash in securely tied bags. Learn more at <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pmhUt5up9Z\">https:\/\/t.co\/pmhUt5up9Z<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/F60QnfvLi6\">pic.twitter.com\/F60QnfvLi6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Clean PHL (@CleanPHL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CleanPHL\/status\/1247580416489467910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 7, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<p>These items are easily washed into the sewer system by rain and can either end up in local waterways or at treatment plants.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"semibold\"><p>&#8220;We are all making many changes to deal with this health crisis, but we need to work together to avoid more problems with the infrastructure we depend on,&#8221; <cite class=\"inline\">says Commissioner Hayman.<\/cite> &#8220;Philadelphians have been expressing tremendous gratitude for the services we provide. But we need them to work with us. We can get through this together, and not flushing wipes or littering are really simple ways to help your city and the environment.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4>More on COVID-19 Response<\/h4>\n<p>To remind people that tap water is safe to drink and detail other impacts to our services, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/phillyh2o.info\/COVID\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">we have put our updates on a COVID-19 page<\/a><\/strong>. Stay safe, and remember that our hotline is still open for emergencies. <strong>Just call (215) 685-6300.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h5><strong>Want to be the first to know when PWD events return?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<h5 class=\"top0\"><strong><a class=\"btn btn-lg btn-primary white bold\" href=\"https:\/\/phillyh2o.info\/signup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up for email and text\/SMS updates here!<\/a><\/strong><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A surge in wipes could be bad news for residents trying to avoid big expenses like major plumbing repairs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"custom_css":"","custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[34,47,48,66,94,99,103],"class_list":["post-813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-infrastructure","tag-environmental-stewardship","tag-home-maintenance","tag-home-plumbing","tag-office-of-transportation-and-infrastructure","tag-storm-drains","tag-tips-and-how-to","tag-treatment-plant","wpautop"],"acf":{"suggested":null},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/phila.gov\/blog\/covid-19-wipes-litter-clogging\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Customers: Flushing Wipes Could Cost You, Damage Infrastructure","url":"http:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/covid-19-wipes-litter-clogging\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/covid-19-wipes-litter-clogging\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"Infrastructure","author":[],"creator":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"@PhillyH2O Blog","logo":""},"keywords":["environmental stewardship","home maintenance","home plumbing","office of transportation and infrastructure","storm drains","tips and how-to","treatment plant"],"dateCreated":"2020-04-14T20:00:00Z","datePublished":"2020-04-14T20:00:00Z","dateModified":"2022-12-03T16:34:47Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Customers: Flushing Wipes Could Cost You, Damage Infrastructure\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/water.phila.gov\\\/blog\\\/covid-19-wipes-litter-clogging\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/water.phila.gov\\\/blog\\\/covid-19-wipes-litter-clogging\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"\"},\"articleSection\":\"Infrastructure\",\"author\":[],\"creator\":[],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"@PhillyH2O Blog\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"environmental stewardship\",\"home maintenance\",\"home plumbing\",\"office of transportation and infrastructure\",\"storm drains\",\"tips and how-to\",\"treatment plant\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2020-04-14T20:00:00Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-14T20:00:00Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-03T16:34:47Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/phila.gov\/p.js"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=813"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/813\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}