Think before you flush, urges new campaign

REDUCING the amount of cotton buds, condoms and other non-flushable items making their way into the region’s sewer system is the focus of a new campaign launched last month.

Barwon Water is calling on the community to think before they flush and consider the impacts of sending non-flushable materials like sanitary items and tissues, which are not designed to breakdown when wet, to the sewers.

Once flushed, these materials bind together to form rock-hard masses called fatbergs, which disrupt the water supply, harm the environment and take both time and money to fix.

Each year, it costs Barwon Water around $600,000 each year to repair the blockages and spills caused by these fatbergs, with the organisation removing 28 tonnes of rubbish – the equivalent weight of six elephants – on a monthly basis from the sewer system.

Barwon Water general manager of smart and sustainable infrastructure David Snadden said people could support the region’s sewerage system by placing a rubbish bin next to their toilet for anything that should not be flushed.

“Sewerage systems are important for the health of the community and our environment, so it’s vital that we keep our sewers clean.

“People can help by only flushing the three Ps – pee, poo and (toilet) paper.”

The campaign is complimented by the return of Barwon Water’s highly successful interact exhibition, the Pooseum of Modern (f)Art, this month on Mondays and Fridays.

The Pooseum of Modern f(Art) is located at Barwon Water’s Ryrie Street headquarters and can be reached via Aitchison Place.

From February 6, it will be open on Thursdays between 9.30am and 10.30am during school terms one and two.

For more information about Barwon Water’s ‘Don’t Flush It’ campaign, head to barwonwater.vic.gov.au/water-and-waste/sewage/dont-flush-it