We carry out regular inspections and maintenance of all our sewage treatment plants. This includes the emptying and servicing of the mechanical pumps.
This is to help make sure that they’re kept in good working order and don’t have any issues in between regular maintenance.
However, these systems can get clogged up when people flush things down the toilet or wash things down the sink they’re not supposed to. From April to August 2022, we responded to over 200 reports of blocked drains and toilets from our customers across Dorset and Somerset, costing us just over £28,000.
We understand and accept that sometimes you might flush the wrong thing down the toilet or wash the wrong thing down the sink by accident, but we’ve put together a few tips below to help you understand what sort of things you shouldn’t be flushing away or putting down the sink so that it doesn’t become a regular occurrence:
Don't flush wet wipes, cotton balls or buds, feminine hygiene products, nappies or paper towels down the toilet
Some of these products are advertised as being flushable, biodegradable, or eco-friendly but they don’t dissolve straight away and are designed to be absorbent.
They can cause the pipes in your home to clog up and can get tangled up in equipment at the sewage plant which stops it from working properly.
Even if a product is advertised as being flushable, it’s best to bin it just to make sure you’re not clogging your pipes up.
Don't wash grease, fat, or oils down the sink
These can stick together with other things in your pipes to create thick, sticky globs that can coat your pipes until nothing passes through them.
Instead, try putting any leftover grease, fat or oils into a small container which can be thrown away once they cool down and solidify.
Don't wash medicine, chemicals, paint, or garden products down the sink
These substances can damage the biological treatment processing in the sewage plant. Garden products include things like weed killer or fertilizer.
It's best to put these in a general waste bin.
Don't flush condoms down the toilet
These are made of rubber which isn’t biodegradable and will get stuck in your pipes. It’s best to put these in a general waste bin too.
These are some of the most common items which get stuck in the pipes in your home, but there’s lots more things which can cause problems when flushed or washed away such as cigarette butts and cat litter.
If we visit your home to clear a blockage and find it was caused by the wrong thing being flushed or washed away, you may have to pay for any work we carried out, so it’s a good idea to follow the tips above to prevent blockages from happening.
If you’re ever unsure about whether to flush or wash something away, it’s best to try and look it up online first before you do it.
