What Not to Flush

Proper Toilet Use

Sewer overflows and backups can cause health hazards, damage home interiors, and threaten the environment. A common cause of sewer overflows is pipes blocked by items flushed down the toilet

What Not to Flush!

Diapers, sanitary napkins, tampons, photo chemicals, cleaners, garbage and toys that find their way into building toilets and drains risk clogging the toilet and pipes, causing toilets to back up.

Why is This Problem?

Any solid matter that you put down the toilet or drain has the potential to cause a blockage in the public sewer or your own private drain. This can lead to:

• Raw sewage overflowing in your home or your neighbor's home
• An expensive and unpleasant cleanup
• Raw sewage overflowing into yards and streets
• Potential contact with disease-causing organisms
• An increase in operation and maintenance costs for local sewer departments, which can cause higher sewer bills for customers
• Increased pollution due to sewage spills caused by the blockage

Sewer overflows and backups can cause health hazards, damage home interiors, and threaten the environment. A common cause of sewer overflows is pipes blocked by items flushed down the toilet.

Clearing up a clogged toilet can be time consuming and messy. In the bathroom, think trash can, not toilet. If it isn’t biodegradable, put it in the trash instead of the toilet.

Disposing of trash down drains and toilets can lead to sewer overflows and backups that can cause harm to human health and our local environment. Using drains and toilets as trash cans may create sewer overflows into streets and water bodies.
Treatment plants effectively remove toilet paper from wastewater, but all other garbage should go in the trash can.

These Items belong in the trash can.

The only thing you should ever flush down a toilet is human waste (urine and feces) and toilet paper. Here’s what you shouldn't flush:

• Bags / wrappings and cardboard
• Band-aids and bandage wrappers
• Cleaning wipes
• Condoms
• Cotton balls, swabs and pads
• Dental floss and teeth whitening strips
• Disposable diapers, nursing pads, and baby wipes
• Facial wipes
• Flammable or explosive substances
• Hair
• Kitty litter
• Expired and unused prescription or over-the-counter medications
• Mini and maxi-pads, tampons and applicators
• Motor oil, transmission fluids, anti-freeze or other toxic chemicals
• Needles and sharps
• Paper towels
• Rags
• Solvents, paints, turpentine, nail polish, polish remover

Helping to prevent clogged drains and backups is easy.