City Of West Palm Beach: Please Protect Your Pipes: Don't Flush Wipes

Press release from the City of West Palm Beach:

02/17/2022 1:23 PM

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA (February 17, 2022) -- To help ensure the City of West Palm Beach’s wastewater system continues to perform at its very best, the City of West Palm Beach Department of Public Utilities reminds customers don’t flush so-called disposable wipes. While they may be flushable, they do not dissolve like toilet paper and are not biodegradable. Flushable wipes can clog wastewater systems and cause sewage blockages, spills and costly system damages. Only toilet paper and liquids should be flushed down the toilet.

 According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the following products should never be flushed down the toilet:

               Flushable Wipes                 Flushable Nappies                                  Cleansing Pads
               Baby Wipes                         Sanitary Products                                   Cotton Puffs or Buds
               Facial Wipes                        Protective Disposable Marks                  Dental Floss 
               Medicines                            Toilet Roll Tubes                                     Bandages

 Throwing wipes and other non-biodegradable items in the trash prevents clogged pipes, helps our sanitary system to function with maximum efficiency, and prevents homeowners from paying a plumber to clear the blockage.

The City of West Palm Beach maintains over 500 miles of underground sanitary sewer pipes that carry wastewater from homes and businesses to the East Central Regional Water Reclamation Facility. The Public Utility’s Sanitary Collections Division is responsible for performing preventative and corrective maintenance on the collection systems to keep wastewater flowing.

To contact the City of West Palm Beach Department of Utilities, please call (561) 822-1060 (TTY: 800 955-8771). For information about the City of West Palm Beach, please visit https://www.wpb.org/.

This press release was produced by the City of West Palm Beach. The views expressed here are the author’s own.