The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has weighed in on the issue of so-called “flushable" wipes.
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Water authorities say the wipes are not actually flushable and instead collect in the sewerage system, causing what have been tagged as “fatbergs”.
The Water Services Association of Australia estimated the national cost of removing the waste and repairing the pipes to be around $15 million a year.
These figures do not include the plumbing bills racked up by residents dealing with fatbergs on their own property.
One Sydney resident confirmed that she received a plumbing bill of $16,000 to remove and repair damage caused by wet wipes to sewer pipes on her property.
Late last year, the Illawarra Mercury reported the issue was a significant problem in the region, with one in four residents flushing the wipes down the toilet.
“Consumers across the country need to stop considering their toilet to be a garbage bin with water in the bottom of it,” Sydney Water’s Peter Hadfield said.
“Everyone should remember the three Ps – the only things that you should flush down your toilet are pee, poo and (toilet) paper .”
The issue has escalated with Choice magazine filing a submission with the ACCC about the marketing of “flushable” wipes.
Mr Hadfield said Sydney Water was assisting the ACCC in their investigations.
Kleenex has released a new range of flushable wipes – but Choice magazine tests released on Thursday claimed they were “dodgy” as they do not break up fast enough.
“Oddly, although the company insisted their old wipes were ‘flushable’ they have decided to reformulate the product,” said Choice’s Tom Godfrey.
“Although the new wipes disintegrated more than the old wipes, they didn’t break down fast enough and we believe they pose a blockage threat particularly in the first several metres of pipe on the consumer’s property.”
A spokeswoman for Kleenex parent company Kimberly-Clark was “disappointed” with Choice’s statements and said they had “worked closely” with water authorities in the reformulation of the product.