No Wipes Down The Pipes!

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the demand for household cleaning items, including disinfecting wipes, paper towels and toilet paper which has sometimes been hard to find. As a result, people have turned to alternatives such as so-called "flushable" wipes and other paper products. This can lead to clogged pipes at homes and in smaller sewer systems. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago’s (MWRD’s) water reclamation plants have seen an increase in these paper products on screens that work to filter out debris at the beginning of the wastewater treatment process. In this educational video, MWRD President Kari K. Steele demonstrates how various products do not break down or dissolve sufficiently in water, and as a result, those materials can clog pipes in homes and cause sewer backups in homes and neighborhoods.

SOURCE: MWRD