To Flush or Not To Flush?

Personal Care, Cleaning and Miscellaneous Items

Here’s a list of a few items that should always be disposed of in a trash can, never down the toilet:

• Diapers and baby wipes, even those labeled "flushable"
• Tampons and sanitary pads, personal care wipes
• Cleaning/disinfecting wipes and disposable toilet brushes
• Paper towels
• "Disposable" contact lenses
• Cigarette butts
• Dental floss and toothpicks
• Cat litter or animal waste
• Toys, or anything made of plastic, including plastic coffee stirrers

Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG)

Fats, oils, and grease harden as they go down the drain, causing sewer pipes to clog. This can lead to a sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) where raw sewage backs up into your home, lawn, neighborhood, and streets. Grease is the number-one cause of sewer blockages in homes.

Fats, oils, and grease can come from:

• Meats
• Butters and margarine
• Lard
• Food scraps
• Sauces
• Salad dressings
• Dairy products
• Cooking oil

Allow fats, oils, and grease to harden in a can or carton, then dispose of it in the garbage.

Medications:

Did you know 70 percent of us take at least one prescription medication, with one in five Americans taking as many as five different medicines on a consistent bases? Nearly 40 percent of those prescriptions end up going unused. That amounts to 200 million pounds of stockpiled, unused and expired pills, syrups, and liquids.

To prevent introducing dangerous substances into our water system, never flush prescription or over the counter medications down a toilet or sink.

To learn more about safe drug disposal, go here.