The Life-cycle of Sewer Litter
Down the toilet
Some cultures, the British far more than Europeans, we learned, use the toilet as a "wet bin". Put it in "the bin" and just 'flush away your troubles'. This cultural attitude problem is not well catered for by the sewerage systems of today. The items don't disappear into the sea or river as used to happen in The Good Old Days. They have to be extracted and trucked away.
Items from the two categories "Sanitary products" and "Condoms" are regularly flushed away. They are also regularly found on UK beaches and river banks. Two other categories which cause trouble are "Disposable nappies" and "Needles and syringes". These four are included in the "Dirty Dozen" categories of items that should not go into the sewers. The full list of categories can be found in the FOG-Catcher flyer "Keep a Healthy Sewer Near You! (88k pdf)".
People that do this are not "bad" – they are "uneducated". They really believe that it is okay. "Bad people" are those who know it is wrong.
The general public has never been taught what is right and wrong. Local Authorities generally just "go with the flow" and put up with it.
Through the sewer under the street
The sewers can be thought of as being like a beaver stream in North America. The FOG and "Sewer Litter" items are the mud and sticks of the beaver's dam. If there were no sticks, the beaver's dam wouldn't be anywhere near as durable and the mud would just wash away. If there was no mud then the pile of sticks would be unstable and would wash away. And of course, if the beaver didn't have any mud or sticks there would be no dam at all.
It starts with a few "Sewer Litter Items" sticking to FOG that has accumulated on the pipe wall. This makes a small thicket of bits sticking out. Those collect more FOG, which then catches more "Sewer Litter Items", … and so it builds up.
It can form a strong dam, restricting the pipe down to a small hole, waiting for a nappy or plastic bag to come along and plug it. The blockage is often noticed only when backed up sewage spills out through a manhole, a gully trap or a toilet. Then the sewer workers are called out urgently to unplug it. Hopefully there won't be any razor blades or needles in there.
Captured at the treatment plant
Screen removing flushed products at Crossness sewage treatment plant, UK.
Close up: peas, sweetcorn and rice mixed in with fat - at a sewage treatment plant.
Sewage screen choked with cotton bud sticks, apparently removed for repair. Two or three mesh sections, centre-left, appear to be missing.
According to the UK Marine Conservation Society, "Cotton Bud Sticks (CBS) are notorious for orientating themselves horizontally in sewers making it possible for them to pass through even very small mesh screens.
They can also cause damage to drum screens, as observed in 1997 in the North of Scotland Water region (Ashley et al, 1999)."
(More UK Marine Conservation Society excerpts on cotton bud sticks.)
Or off to the sea
Many sanitary items, particularly cotton bud sticks (CBS), are capable of passing through the treatment plant screens, wash on down to the rivers, bays and seas, and end up either on the beach or in wildlife. Both can get choked by them. Panty liners, backing strips and condoms are typical other items.
All this is known as Sewage Related Debris – SRD.
"Beach pollution" is such a problem in the UK that there are organisations set up to fight against it.
Surfers Against Sewage
Surfers Against Sewage is a UK-based non profit-making organisation campaigning for clean, safe recreational waters, free from sewage effluents, toxic chemicals, marine litter and nuclear waste. SAS was set up in 1990 by a small group of surfers who noticed that they were frequently ill after surfing and found that it was polluted water that was causing it.
SAS launched a "Return to Offender – Address Known" campaign in 2006 and since then have been sending back litter found on the beaches to its "owners".
Marine Conservation Society
The Marine Conservation Society is a UK charity dedicated to caring for seas, shores and wildlife.
The Society has two initiatives running to preserve the UK beaches Beachwatch and Adopt-A-Beach.
Excerpt:
Anyone in the UK can adopt their favourite stretch of coast and take part in annual or quarterly beach cleans and surveys to monitor litter throughout the year and help us campaign for cleaner seas.Copyright: Adopt-A-Beach