File - City of Atlanta, Watershed Management

Wipes Campaign: Sample
Statistical Data
From Toilet to Wastewater Treatment
A breakdown of flushed
products identified in
three field studies of pump
station inlet screens,
carried out by INDA
and various Wastewater
Agencies
47% Non-flushable Paper
(paper hand towels, tissues/
napkins, etc.)
18% Non-flushable
Baby Wipes
13% Non-flushable
Feminine hygiene
(tampons, pads, wrappers,
etc.)
14% Non-flushable
Household Wipes
(surface, cosmetic, &
medicated wipes, etc.)
8% Flushable Wipes
CITY OF ATLANTA
Kasim Reed
Mayor
Atlanta City Council
Ceasar C. Mitchell, Council President
Carla Smith, District 1
Kwanza Hall, District 2
Ivory Lee Young, Jr., District 3
Cleta Winslow, District 4
Natalyn Mosby Archibong, District 5
Alex Wan, District 6
Howard Shook, District 7
Yolanda Adrean, District 8
Felicia A. Moore, District 9
C.T. Martin, District 10
Keisha Lance Bottoms, District 11
Joyce Sheperd, District 12
Michael Julian Bond, Post 1 At-Large
Mary Norwood, Post 2 At-Large
Andre Dickens, Post 3 At-Large
Department of Watershed Management
Jo Ann J. Macrina, P.E.
Commissioner
(wipes labeled as flushable)
*The “Save Your Pipes: Don’t Flush
Baby Wipes” public education
campaign was a joint project of
the Association of the Nonwoven
Fabrics Industry (INDA; www.
inda.org) and the Maine Water
Environment Association (MEWEA;
www.mewea.org) and its partners.
The above statistics were taken from
their sample data.
Scan for more
information
CITY OF ATLANTA
DEPARTMENT OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT
Wipes Campaign: Overview
The No Wipes In
Pipes Campaign was
established to create
awareness that it is not
just a local issue, but
one that is of concern
nationwide. In launching
an awareness campaign as important as “No
Wipes In Pipes”, we ask you to help us educate our
rate payers on how to properly dispose of wipes
and non-dispersible items.
Wipes and other nondispersible items are
causing a crisis to
residential sewer pipes,
and our wastewater
system & treatment
facilities. Wipes are
being flushed down toilets, clogging the sewer
system and causing millions of dollars in equipment
damage. Although not confirmed empirically,
several factors are hypothesized to be contributing
to this increasing problem:
•A lack of awareness that wipes are not suited for municipal wastewater treatment system
Wipes Campaign: Overview, cont’d.
•Confusing language on wipes packaging suggesting that some wipes can be flushed
•The belief that wipes packaged as “flushable” are safe to flush (as they also contribute to the clogging pumps);
•Local efforts to reduce bagged and dumped trash leading homeowners to get rid of trash in other ways
•Increasing use of wipes for all types of needs
This campaign should
effectively educate and
encourage ratepayers to
properly dispose of wipes
and non-flushable items.
This campaign has the
potential to save millions
of dollars by reducing sewer overflows and repair
and replacement costs. This includes pumps and
equipment damaged by wipes and other nondispersible products.
Flushing your wipes
costs all of us in
Atlanta big bucks.
Flushing all types of wipes can cause toilet overflows, expensive
plumbing repairs, clogged pumps and sewer systems, and
expensive damage to septic systems. Wipes are not designed to
be flushed. Sooner or later they’ll get stuck, either in your home
plumbing or your town’s sewer system.
• At home, all types of wipes can clog your plumbing,
leading to messy toilet overflows and costly repairs.
• Even more serious, they also clog pumps and damage
sewer systems, which costs us all big bucks.
The City of Atlanta Department of Watershed
Management spent more than $1 million to make
repairs to the treatment plant due to the clogging
of pumps like this by wipes and other items that
should not be flushed.