You could build 10 “Big Bens” with the wet wipes flushed every year

• An estimated 3.8 billion wipes are flushed into Thames Water’s network each year.
• One in eight people admit to flushing wipes always or most of the time.
• Flushed wipes cost Thames Water around £21m per year in removal and repairing damaged infrastructure. 
• Thames Water is urging customers to only flush the three P’s – Pee, Poo and (toilet) Paper.

An estimated 3.8 billion wet wipes are flushed into Thames Water’s sewer network, across London and the Thames Valley every year, an average of 10.41 million every day. These wet wipes would be enough to build more than 10 ‘Big Bens’ (the popular name for the Elizabeth Tower in the Palace of Westminster).

Thames Water estimates that removing blockages and repairing the damage caused by wet wipes costs around £21 million every year. This is money that could be invested instead in further upgrades to pipes and sewage treatment works.  

The company is urging people  to rethink what they flush, after new research reveals one in five (20 per cent) dispose of wet wipes down the toilet at least some of the time. One in eight (12 per cent) people admit when they have finished using wet wipes, including those to remove make up or to clean a child, they always or most of the time flush them down the toilet. 

In sewers, wet wipes can accumulate and combine with fats oils and grease to form fatbergs, causing serious damage to the sewer network, increasing the risk of flooding and contributing to pollution in rivers and waterways. 

This year, over half (52 per cent) of sewer blockages have been caused by rags. Rags consist of fibrous materials such as wipes, cloth, sanitary products, paper towels and any other syntenic fiber. 

Tessa Fayers, Director of Waste and Bioresources at Thames Water, said: 

“Wet wipes contribute to thousands of blockages every year, increasing the risk of sewer flooding in our communities and harm to the environment. 

“We’re encouraging everyone to make one simple change [AD3.1]by putting all wipes in the bin, even those labelled as biodegradable or flushable. Making that small change can have a big impact.”

As part of Unblocktober, Thames Water is encouraging customers to bin all wipes and support its wider Bin It Don’t Block It campaign.

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 P’ 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.