Did you flush today? Now you might wonder, why would anyone (without a toddler) ask that question? The reason for the question is because November 19th is Worldwide Toilet Day. It’s not as big a holiday as Thanksgiving or Christmas; you don’t get the day off (or the day after) and there are no Black Friday door busters. Come to think of it—toilets are probably not on sale today. What we can give you on this day is a little bit of knowledge about Worldwide Toilet Day.
Did you know that 2.5 billion people in this world lack access to improved sanitation? For the approximately 1.3 million customers of MSD, more than 356 million gallons of wastewater are treated daily at the District’s treatment facilities before returned to the local rivers.
We bet you did not know that one of the biggest causes of wastewater sewer blockage is disposable or “flushable” wipes. In fact, a recently published article in the New York Post stressed that disposable wipes aren’t really flushable. According to a class- action suit brought against some major manufacturers of “flushable” wipes, “ do not break down as manufacturers advertise.” The New York Department of Environmental Protection backs up this claim and takes it a step further by saying that unlike toilet paper, which disintegrates almost immediately, the strong-fiber wipes wreak havoc on city sewer systems.
The problem isn’t limited to just the US. In London, crews had to blast a 15-ton, bus-sized mass of wipes and congealed grease from the city’s nearly paralyzed sewer system.
We bring this to your attention today only to make you an “educated flusher.” So go forth and remember to flush today. #WorldToiletDay