Hand taking a wet wipe from a wipe package

Advocating Against “Flushable” Wipes in the Wastewater Industry

ByLaura Schultz

Wipes and other non-dissolvable items being flushed down the toilet is the bane of every type of wastewater system — massive municipal utilities and individual septic systems alike. Everyone in the wastewater industry will tell you that the only things that should be flushed down a toilet are the Three P’s: Pee, Poop, and (toilet) Paper. While wipes marketed as flushable will break down to a greater extent than regular wet wipes, they do not completely dissolve as toilet paper does and will still pose clogging and blockage issues to all wastewater systems.

You can watch the video below, from the YouTube channel of Australian water and wastewater utility Icon Water, to see for yourself the difference in flushability of toilet paper, “flushable” wipes, “unflushable” wet wipes, and paper towels. Each one is spun in a jar for 30 minutes to demonstrate their capacity to break down. 

Because flushable wipes maintain their structure despite easily flushing down the toilet, the more wipes that are flushed, eventually pipes will clog and septic tanks will fill up. This will invariably require costly repairs to remove the wipes from pipes and tanks, and if the situation is bad enough, a complete septic system replacement may be needed. As such, spreading the word about the misleading nature of flushable wipes, especially to new septic system owners, is beneficial for decentralized wastewater systems. 

You can also participate in advocacy for legal restrictions on flushable wipes. In June of 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act. The legislation has stalled in the Senate, but if passed, it “would require the Federal Trade Commission to create a uniform label for products that have and/or require a ‘Do Not Flush’ label” with the goal of reducing confusion for consumers and protecting all wastewater systems. The state of Michigan was able to pass a law last summer that prohibits manufacturers from marketing wipes as flushable. 

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