Dispose of wet wipes

What the problem is

For decades, sewage pumps ran smoothly. But for some years now, the drainage company has been receiving an increasing number of fault reports due to blockages caused by wet wipes. The reason: the use of wet wipes has risen sharply. Screens and rakes in the municipal sewer network therefore regularly have to be laboriously cleared of clumped wipes. In some systems, malfunctions occur on a weekly basis.

Higher costs due to blocked sewers

There are also problems at the sewage treatment plant: Wet wipes float to the surface in the clarifiers. This reduces the oxygen input and disrupts the clarification process. In addition, pipes, pumps and overflows become blocked. Normal toilet paper dissolves and does not cause these problems. Blocked sewers and sewage pumps also require much more energy. This leads to higher costs. These are then borne by the ratepayers - all households in the city.

Wet wipes consist of a polyester-viscose mixture or other fibers and are reinforced with synthetic resin. This makes them extremely tear-resistant. In the sewer system, they sometimes form tangles several meters long, which the employees then have to pull out of the sewage pumps.

The request from the drainage company

Dispose of moist cosmetic tissues and, if possible, moist toilet tissues in the residual waste. And not via the toilets.