Do we all know what we should and shouldn’t be putting down our sinks, drains and toilets? It’s really important that members of the public are aware of what should and shouldn’t enter the water system, in order to reduce sewer blockages, stop our rivers and streams from being polluted and to help the environment.

Your community

Your local drains and sewers that deal with your waste after you’ve flushed your toilet, or emptied your sink, periodically suffer problems in the form of blockages. This is as a result of the wrong things being poured down the sink or flushed down the toilet. So, to prevent the problem from getting worse, there are a few things you can do.

Your help – spread the word

Please can you make a special effort to remember to only ever flush pee, poo and toilet paper down the loo, and always scrape pots, pans and plates into the bin before washing up? If you already do this, that’s great, thank you.

Wet wipes, nappies, kitchen roll, face wipes, cotton buds and sanitary items should never go down the toilet. They should instead be put into a bin. And fats, oils and grease (FOG) should never be poured down the sink. When they cool down, they solidify and stick to the water pipes.

If people put the wrong things down their pipes, sewers get blocked, causing raw sewage to flood into homes, gardens, roads and watercourses. Not only is this really unpleasant, it can severely pollute rivers and streams.

The facts

Did you know that Severn Trent are called to resolve 45,000 sewer blockages each year and 70% of them are caused by people putting the wrong things down the sink or toilet? And what’s more, this costs a whopping £10m to sort out. You can see from the images in this article what happens when wet wipes and FOG collect in our pipes.

Fine to flush

Did you know that most wipes are not designed to be flushed down the toilet? As they are moist toilet tissue, only wipes with the ‘Fine to Flush’ logo on the packet can safely be flushed… but still only one or two at a time please. Try to keep an eye out for the logo and think twice before flushing any wipes.

Collect your fat, oil and grease

Why not try using one of Severn Trent’s Gunkpots or an old container to trap any fat you might produce when you’re cooking. Wait for the fat to cool, then pour it into the pot, scrape it into the bin – and then reuse it.

If you need more information about this, please visit the Severn Trent website for some useful tips on how to protect our wonderful water network:

www.stwater.co.uk/about-us/environment/bag-it-and-bin-it/

Thank you

Finally, thank you for your help in making sure we keep our drains and sewers running freely.