It may be tempting to toss debris in the toilet and whisk it away to parts unknown, but those careless flushes can lead to not just expensive plumbing repairs (or ire from your landlord if you’re a renter), but environmental pollution and headaches for local wastewater treatment plants.
Here are 12 items you should never flush — and how to properly dispose of them.
Baby wipes of any kind should never be flushed. They don’t break down as toilet paper does and can cause clogs — even if the package claims they’re “flushable.” With heavy rains, wipes can also overflow into water systems; in 2019, 23,000 of these nuisances were found on the shore of the River Thames in London. Wipes have become such a problem, some municipalities may even fine residents who flush them.
Q-Tips, cotton pads, cotton balls, and similar bathroom products will expand and clump, causing potential clogs, and should go in the trash — not the toilet. This also applies to period products, which are absorbent by nature and will expand in plumbing as opposed to disintegrating as toilet paper does. Most public restrooms will have special trash containers in restroom stalls so that they can be safely thrown out, not flushed.
Condoms are made from materials like latex, polyurethane, or polyisoprene, which don’t break down in water — obviously, they wouldn’t be very useful if they did. As such, flushing them can lead to clogs, so save yourself the embarrassment of a plumber having to explain to you why you’re getting that expensive bill and throw them in the trash instead.
Diapers are meant to absorb liquids, so they don’t disintegrate in plumbing systems. Rather than try to flush a bulky diaper and deal with a clog, parents should either throw them away or use cloth diapers that can be laundered.
Clumping litter made from bentonite clay turns into a cement-like substance that can clog or damage plumbing, but flushable litter should also go in the garbage as many modern, low-flow toilets don’t use enough water to adequately move the litter through the pipes. Additionally, you shouldn’t flush cat feces as most wastewater treatment plants are designed for human waste only.
Medications can pollute lakes, streams, and other water sources, affecting both wildlife and local drinking water. Some medications can impede reproduction in frogs, fish, and other aquatic animals. Even scarier, bacteria exposed to flushed antibiotics will attempt to adapt, which could lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Unlike other items on the list, it’s not recommended to simply toss medications in the trash, as they can also pollute landfills or wind up in the hands of children or people who may abuse them. The FDA instead recommends dropping medications off at drug take-back location or, if unavailable, removing any identifying packaging, mixing them with an “unappealing substance” like that kitty litter you didn’t flush, wrapping it all in plastic, and throwing it in the trash.
Not only does gum not break down in water, it’s sticky, meaning it can attach itself to other waste and cause an even larger clog. Instead, wrap it in paper and throw it away.
Not only can butts clog toilets and pipes — especially those with plastic tips and filters — the toxic chemicals inside can leach into the water system. Butts should be thoroughly extinguished, then thrown away.
Dental floss is a clogging hazard as it can tangle around parts of your plumbing system or other debris. Toss it in the trash instead.
Flushing a dead fish, frog, or other small animal is not only a good way to get a clog, it could also carry disease or parasites. Instead, wrap the animal in plastic and throw it away or bury it. It goes without saying, but don’t flush living fish or aquatic animals either. Most fish will die of shock due to the cold toilet water, but those that survive can become an invasive species should they enter local waterways.
Many people use bleach to clean their toilets, but it’s a harsh chemical that can damage plastic or rubber parts of your toilet or septic system, and can be corrosive to pipes over time. Vinegar is a safer option for stains.
Cooking grease congeals when it cools, and thus can clog drains and pipes if flushed or poured down the kitchen sink. Additionally, grease can create “fatbergs” — disgusting masses of fat and other debris in sewer systems that are difficult and costly for cities to remove. Instead, wait for the grease to harden, then throw it away. Alternatively, you can save some greases — like bacon grease — in a jar and use it in future baking and cooking endeavors.
