8 things you should never flush down the toilet

The toilet… it’s where we spend a good deal of our lives, and thank goodness we have them at all! But what if you aren’t treating yours quite the way you ought to? Our plumbing systems are extremely sensitive, and what you flush down the toilet can come back to bite you – not to mention, destroy our precious environment.

Be proactive about keeping your plumbing system alive and take care of the land we are fortunate to live on by NEVER flushing the following 8 things down your toilet:

1. Cotton Balls

Instead of disintegrating as soon as they hit the water like you may think, cotton balls collect in your pipes and can cause a serious blockage overtime. Throw them in the bin instead.

2. Prescription Meds

Powerful prescription medications can actually poison the water system and harm wildlife as treated wastewater makes its way back into the water cycle. Destroy your medications the safe way by going to www.returnmed.com.au.

3. Cigarette butts

Cigarettes contain toxic chemicals so not only are they extremely harmful to your health but just like prescription meds, they pollute our sensitive environment when you flush them. Throw them in the bin instead.

4. Bathroom wipes

Although many are advertised as flushable, bathroom wipes pile up in the plumbing system similar to cotton wool balls. Take the safe route and toss them in the bin.

5. Dental floss + Bandaids

Don’t be fooled into thinking these bathroom products are biodegradable – most floss is made from nylon and many bandaids are made from plastic which means they won’t be breaking down any time soon. Also, floss can get caught in the pipes and eventually wrap around themselves into a ball ‘o floss, making for an annoying drain clog. Never flush them.

6. Paper towels/Pads/Tampons

Unlike toilet paper, paper towels are not designed to end up in the plumbing system as they tend to be quite thick and large (designed to soak up spills!). And there’s a reason why most restaurants stress the point of not disposing of feminine products in the toilets – they’re also designed to absorb so this is what they do in the pipes as they make their way down. Best to just dispose of these products in bins provided, wrap and place in your own bin or even try eco-friendly versions: Diva Cup & Eco Femme Washable Cloth Pads.

7. Kitty litter

Unless you’ve trained your cat to use the toilet like Robert Denero did with his beloved cat in Meet The Fockers, never throw your cat’s litter down the toilet. Since it’s made from clay and sand, kitty litter spells death for the plumbing system so avoid it at all costs and stick to disposing of it in the bin.

8. Grease & Fat

Because they congeal as soon as they cool, fats and grease should never go down the toilet no matter how much it might seem like a good idea. What you could do is keep a sandwich zip bag in the kitchen and pour/scoop any oils & grease into the bag (once they’ve cooled of course) and throw away.