The toilet is not a trash can and the wastewater system is certainly not the place to dispose of a beloved Winnie the Pooh doll…or a bicycle! I can’t even begin to think of how these kinds of things could end up in the sanitary sewer system, but a recent BBC News story described how they (among other things) were found in Scotland’s sewers last year. While these items are certainly not the norm, the most common finding in their sewer system (and huge contributor to more than 40,000 blockages) was cooking fats, oil, grease and wipes. The story goes on to describe how these materials created “a perfect storm of solidified fat and material that cannot break down easily in large clumps beneath Scotland’s streets,” often leading to overflows and costly repairs.
Their message to the Scottish public is the same as ours here in the States: “Please dispose of kitchen and bathroom waste responsibly.” We can’t say it enough…think before you flush!
Read the full story online at BBC News Scotland.