As the COVID-19 crisis continues, demand for toilet paper and disinfectant wipes continues to skyrocket. And as toilet paper has become scarce due to hoarding, more people have turned to alternatives like “flushable” wipes for their sanitary needs.
Toilet paper is designed to disintegrate in our sewage systems, but wipes are not. They’re typically made with synthetic materials that won’t break down. So even if they flush down your toilet, they end up clogging our sewers. This poses serious risks to cities like New York including: sewer backups, damage to wastewater treatment plants, flooding, millions of dollars in repair costs, and clean water contamination.
One of the last things we need during this global pandemic are clogged sewers overflowing into our streets. Wipes are also not recyclable, so if you must use them, please throw them in the trash.
The PSA was designed by Green America, a national nonprofit focused on building our nation’s green economy, fighting corporate abuse, and helping consumers and business leaders work together to fight climate change, and create a just and sustainable world through economic action.
Green America’s mission is to harness economic power – the strength of consumers, investors, businesses and the marketplace – to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. Green America mobilizes people in these roles to take individual and collective action around six key interconnected issue areas: clean energy and climate action, regenerative agriculture, responsible finance, fair labor, social justice, and green living.
You can read more about how “flushable” wipes impact our environment here.