Some facts…
- 48% of British people have flushed wet wipes.
- 180,000,000 cotton buds are flushed down the toilet each year.
- 48% of people pour fat, oil and grease down their drains.
Not only is all this ‘flushing‘ bad for the sea and the environment, but it plays havoc on the sewers, causing fatbergs and is detrimental to the health of a pump in a pump station that collects foul water from a property (especially wet wipes).
Fatbergs caused by wet wipes, cotton buds, oil, fat and grease (along with other nasty stuff), block drains and sewers causing them to work less effectively than they should. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this has got worse with people even flushing face masks and rubber gloves.
When these items are put down the toilet in a property with a foul water pump station, they can easily become wrapped around the rotating part of the pump (impeller) and cause the pump to burn out and stop work. Without the pump working, there is no evacuation of water and that can lead to potential flooding. This can become very costly and unpleasant for the homeowner. Foul water pumps are designed to only handle flushed solids that can be easily broken down (like poo and toilet paper).
According to recent statistics, 64% of people are very aware of what they ‘should and shouldn’t’ flush down the toilet and put into their drains.
Did you know?
8,000,000 pieces of plastic work their way into our rivers and seas each and every day!
It’s not too late to make a change! At Paragon Pump Servicing, we’re asking every one of our customers to join us in making a change to protect seas and sewers by not flushing (or putting down their drains) any of the following items…
- Any cooking oil.
- Butter, lard or margarine.
- Cooking sauces.
- Wet wipes (even if they say flushable).
- Period products, tampons, sanitary towels, etc.
- Nappies.
- Condoms.
- Cotton buds.
- Contact lenses.
- Bandages and plasters.
- Dental floss and picks.
- Razor blades.
- Face masks.
- Gloves
- Plastic bags.
- Paint.
- Chemicals and Chlorine.
Together we can make a difference. Bin it – don’t block it.