Time for a change - one in three infant and toddler parents flush wet wipes
Wipes pulled out a drain
- 31 per cent of parents of under fours flush wipes down the toilet, with 10 per cent doing so every day
- More parental education is needed as 37 per cent of wipe flushers believe they are safe to flush
- Thames Water is supporting Unblocktober, encouraging people to bin all wipes to prevent sewer blockages and protect the environment.
New research from Thames Water reveals almost one in three (31 per cent) parents, with children under the age of four, flush wipes down the toilet.
Shockingly, 10 per cent of parents of infants and toddlers, flush wipes down the toilet every single day, while more than a quarter (26 per cent) do so at least once a month. Younger parents are the most likely to flush wipes, with 38 per cent of parents aged 18-34 admitting to doing so, compared with 26 per cent of parents aged 35-54.
Wipes can become the scaffolding for fatbergs with fat, oils and grease building up around them to form rock-hard blockages in pipes, which increases the risk of flooding and contributes to river pollution. Wipes don’t just block sewers, at sewage treatment works they wrap around pumps and jam treatment equipment, costing millions to remove. Every wipe flushed must be screened out and dealt with before treated wastewater can be safely returned to the environment.
Thames Water is asking parents of infants and toddlers to make a small change to their routine to help the environment and reduce the risk of sewer flooding and blockages. A lack of knowledge is a key reason for wipes being flushed, as more than a third (37 per cent) of those who dispose of wipes this way mistakenly think it is safe to do so.
Convenience is also a key factor, with 28 per cent saying they flush wipes because it is easy to do, while around a quarter (26 per cent) cite hygiene reasons or avoiding odours.
Two thirds (66 per cent) of parents under fours believe if a wipe says it is flushable it is fine to dispose of down the toilet and 36 per cent believe if it says it is biodegradable it is safe to flush. Unfortunately, despite advertising on the packaging using these phrases these wipes can still cause fatbergs and damage sewage treatment works. One in six (17 per cent) of these parents believe baby wipes are just as safe to flush as toilet paper, which just isn’t the case.
Along with behavioural change there are simple solutions. Installing more bins in public toilets could significantly reduce wet wipe pollution. More than a third (36 per cent) of parents with children under four are more likely to flush them if there isn’t a bin available.
Tessa Fayers, Director of Waste and Bioresources at Thames Water, said:
"It's a real worry that so many parents are flushing wipes down the toilet.
"As a parent myself, I understand that convenience matters when you have young children. I also know that the packaging can be confusing. Wipes marketed as 'flushable' or 'biodegradable' can contribute to blockages because they do not break down quickly enough in the sewer. Making one simple change and binning all wipes instead of flushing them, families can help prevent sewer blockages and reduce the risk of flooding or pollution incidents in their neighbourhood.”
The findings come as Thames Water supports Unblocktober, a national month-long campaign encouraging people to stop flushing wipes and other non-flushable items down the toilet.
Unblocktober encourages people to make small changes to everyday habits that can have a significant positive impact on the environment and help prevent sewer blockages.
The company’s Bin It Don’t Block It campaign reminds customers that only the three Ps should be flushed down the toilet: pee, poo and (toilet) paper.
Further information about the Bin it Don’t Block it campaign can be found here.