A global statement has now been signed by 281 organisations across 20 countries outlining the water industry’s current position regarding misleading ‘flushable’ labelled products. This is since water companies wrote to trading standards to complain about the packaging of wet wipes and other sanitary products being claimed as ‘flushable’.
The international statement recommends that consumers must be given clear information about appropriate disposal methods of such products. It also calls on the manufacturers to clearly label their products as non-flushable until an agreed ISO flushability technical standard has been agreed with the water industry which could take several months.
In the UK, water companies estimate it costs £88 million a year to unblock sewers, and most of the blockages are exacerbated by wipes and other hygiene products. This does not include the human and environmental impact and cost.
Below Photo: Wet wipe removal at a sewage treatment plant.