What does "Sewer Litter" mean?
People put down the toilet a large number of items that should not go down there. A disposable nappy is one such. A hypodermic needle is another.
One of the worst is — surprisingly — the cotton bud stick! It readily blocks the screens which filter out the rubbish at the treatment plant so that water cannot go through and it escapes to pollute the sea.
We never found an industrial term (like "FOG") for this type of pollution. As we needed one for our business we eventually decided to call it all "Sewer Litter".
What are "Sewer Litter Items"?
The
UK Beachwatch 2006 Annual Beach Litter Survey Report states on page 30 that
the "British public traditionally uses the toilet as a 'wet bin' for
everything used in the bathroom."
One company that provides water and disposes of sewage in the UK, Thames Water, claims that 41 per cent of people flush unsuitable items down their toilet.
"Natural" waste products are the result of using the toilet and of cleaning yourself and your clothes.
"Sewer Litter" consists of: "non-natural" waste products, damaging chemicals and all medicines.
List of "Sewer Litter Items"
The most common offenders that drive the Thames Water, UK, company round the U-bend are sanitary products, nappies, wet wipes, kitchen roll and cooking oil.
Items sold labelled as "flushable" encourage consumers to unwittingly block their drains.
Here is a fuller list of items that go down the toilet and shouldn't, per the UK Marine Conservation Society, worst first:
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Note that the "Cotton bud sticks" is the "first of the worst" in this list. Seemingly so innocuous, they are a notorious nuisance once they are flushed out of sight.
According to the UK Marine Conservation Society (Adopt-A-Beach) webpage on "cotton bud sticks" beach litter: "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)."
Other lists put Cotton Bud Sticks in a lower position and put FOG first. What is worst depends on your view point. UK Marine Conservation Society, an organisation concerned with cleaning up the sea, has a different view point from the water company South West Water. They dispose of the sewage and their "first of the worst" is FOG.
Correct disposal of "Sewer Litter Items"
The people that put unsuitable items down the toilet are usually doing it because they think they can – it is okay to do that. They are thinking: "Disposable items are to be disposed of down the toilet." Some even think that sanitary items must go down the toilet, that it's unhygienic to put them in a waste bin.
Both groups are, in fact, very wrong. What they are doing can harm the sewers and the sewer workers, and it is not unhygienic to put them in a waste bin and then in the landfill.
Mostly, correct disposal simply means that you put it in a bin in the bathroom. Sometimes you first wrap it in paper to protect others from it, sometimes you seal it in a bag. If you have a toilet in a room on its own then you should have another bin there. If you don't have a bathroom bin or a toilet bin then you'll need to buy one and should always line it with a bag to keep it clean.
Razor blades, if the blade edges are very exposed, should be put into a small, throwaway plastic jar such as those used for stock powder. Nappies should be put into those sealable nappy bags that you find next to the nappies at the supermarket.
Subsequently, you empty the bins (re-using the liner bag if it is still clean) into the kerbside rubbish bag.
Syringes, Needles and Medicines
Big exceptions are "Syringes and hypodermic needles" and "Medicines", which must be disposed of with more care.
If you don't have an arrangement with your pharmacist for your "syringes and needles" you can go to the: Needle Exchange Programme. People should contact their local pharmacy first for advice.
Many medicines are designed to kill bacteria. Putting these down the drain kills the good bacteria that do a great job for us at the
treatment plant, or in the septic tank. Then the Local Authority or home owner has to spend money to replace them.
Medicines dumped in the landfill or septic tank will eventually contaminate the water that drains from there, and that will
sicken or kill life in the waterways.
You just hand in all unused medicines, or medicines that are past their "best before" date, at any pharmacy.
They will pass them on to be incinerated.
Stopping Sewer Litter Items from going into the sewer is good for both householder and Local Authority.
Stopping Sewer Litter Items from going into the septic tank is good for the householder.
The Life-cycle of "Sewer Litter"
On its journey to its final resting place, Sewer Litter passes through many places. It goes down the toilet, then through the sewer pipes under the street, and is finally captured at the treatment plant.
But some items are not captured. They escape to the sea.
This is the The Life-cycle of Sewer Litter.