With more households using convenient disinfecting wipes to fight the spread of germs amid the Coronavirus, the City of Twin Falls would like to remind residents and visitors that disinfectant wipes should be discarded in trash cans and should never be flushed down toilets.
Continually flushing disinfectant wipes down toilets can cause blockage in homes and damage the City sewer system. The City of Twin Falls, like many cities in the United States, use centralized sewage collection systems that rely on gravity and water flow to move waste.
Toilet paper breaks down easily in those systems, but disinfectant wipes do not break down. Disinfectant wipes, baby wipes, and even ‘flushable’ wipes are made of synthetic materials that, when combined with grease and other waste, will create blockages in sewer systems.
“When homeowners flush wipes, they tend to mix with other materials in the sewer line, which causes plumbing to overflow from floor drains and toilets, especially in homes with basements,” said Doug Gonzales, Wastewater Superintendent. “Or worse yet, they can block city sewer collection lines, which effects your neighbors. Or the wastewater treatment plan, which effects the community.”