Wet wipes, nappies, false teeth, and kids toys are just some of the unflushables found over the past year.
Sydney Water launches ‘Are you flushing, kidding me’, in a bid to stop 500 tonnes of wet wipes and other items being flushed down the toilet at a cost of more than $14 million a year.
The in-house campaign, starring Sydney Water ambassador Shane Jacobson, tackles the issue of fatbergs. Fatbergs are masses of household waste that do not break down and become congealed, creating an environmental disaster through the network.
Items including wet wipes, nappies, false teeth, condoms, parts of a prosthetic leg and kids toys are just some of the unflushables found over the past year.
Sydney Water’s general manager for customer, strategy and engagement, Maryanne Graham said: “This campaign is about raising awareness around a critical issue which not only costs Sydney Water more than $14 million a year to fix, but customers thousands in sewage overflows, bathroom and street flooding.”
“The environmental impact is also huge when you look at the number of blockages and overflows which amount to around 870 a month or up to 13,000 chokes across the network a year.”
Minister for lands and water Kevin Anderson said the campaign is about educating the community and working together to solve a critical issue.
“This is an education campaign which highlights the damage caused by people not fully understanding what is right and wrong when it comes to flushing things through the network,” Minister Anderson said.
“If we work together, the impact on our environment and the cost to customers will be significantly reduced.”
