Greenwashing is Clogging Our Drains and Polluting Our Waterways
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “flushable” as “suitable for disposal by flushing down a toilet.” It’s no surprise that when consumers see products advertised as flushable on the shelf, they make the assumption that they are safe to flush; why wouldn’t they be? But what exactly does safe to flush mean in regard to our drains and sewer system? To answer this question, Urban Water TMU’s (Toronto Metropolitan University) Flushability Lab put the “flushability” of flushable wipes to the test.
Flushability Lab at Urban Water TMU, 2022
The study tested 101 single-use products, 23 of which were labelled flushable, through an imitated home lavatory system from the toilet to the sewer. It was found that not one of the wipes fully disbanded or fell apart during this process. This calls into question the validity of calling a product flushable. That is precisely why, in 2019, Friends of the Earth Canada and lawyers from Ecojustice filed a grievance with Canada’s Competition Bureau about the false advertisement of 20 disposable wipe makers claiming their products are safe to flush down the toilet. The grievance called for makers to eliminate the claim that products are safe to be flushed and clearly highlight each one with “do not flush” logo and instructions. It also came along with calls for public restrictions to be issued. This call to action seems more than logical, with evidence of disruption and damage to sewer systems across the globe.
Flushability Lab at Urban Water TMU, 2022
There have been several instances where undisintegrated wipes get glued together with coagulated fats, such as kitchen grease, creating large and impassable fatbergs. The New York Times describes these clumps of litter as “demon snowballs,” and they have certainly made their presence known internationally, including a 200-tonne fatberg found in Liverpool that caused flooding to properties around the city last year.
Barry Orr, a researcher at Toronto Metropolitan University and Standards Council of Canada Wastewater Expert, told us that “It is estimated that the non-flushable issue in Canada is costing ratepayers over $250 million each year” in removal and damages. He also highlighted the steep price of protective equipment that Canadian ratepayers have contributed to over the last 15 years, including “new screening equipment, new grinders, new pumps, new level monitors and many other equipment purchases,” which Orr valued at over $15 billion. This expensive issue, in combination with other factors such as 100-year storms, places further stress on our already aging sewer infrastructure.
At Swim Drink Fish, we have often seen the implications of Combined Sewage Overflows (CSOs) leaving items flushed down the toilet to float in our waters, wipes being a common polluter. In 2021, our team saw 31 wet wipes and 64 fatbergs at sampling locations across Toronto. It’s hard to believe that one small product can cause so much damage to our infrastructure while also polluting our waterways and is still being advertised as safe to flush. It’s disappointing but not surprising, given the surge in greenwashing within the advertising industry.
Despite this overwhelming evidence, the Competition Bureau closed the inquiry, stating that it’s unclear what “flushable” really means. How could this be? The word's very definition means a safe product to flush. Orr believes the hesitancy from the federal government to define the word legally is because “[they have] lost sight of pollution prevention being the most sustainable method of protecting the environment and the sewer systems. Capital investments look good when new buildings go up, and new jobs are created, but if we never had issues with flushables because government intervention defined what is flushable, isn't that the best investment?”
It’s worrisome to know we live in a world where greenwashing takes precedence over public health and wellness. Without any official standards or regulations for flushable products, the onus of understanding what can and can’t be flushed currently falls on us as consumers. This onus is an expensive one, especially considering the $250 million in repair and removal previously mentioned. Seemingly, the most logical solution is government intervention and policy change. After all, many individuals don’t think twice about our sewer systems. This issue is truly out of sight, out of mind for most.
There are groups that are dedicated to helping protect our sewer systems which have an enormous impact on the environment around us, the Flushability Lab at Urban Water TMU being one of them. So how do these groups define “flushability”? Orr points us to the International Water Services Flushability Group (IWSFG). This group of international water associations, utilities, and professionals have banded together “to provide clear guidance on what should and should not be flushed down the toilet to protect customers, wastewater systems, their workers, and the environment.” [1] Together, they developed the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) documents. The PAS documents were designed to protect sewer infrastructure by ensuring products are suitable for toilet disposal. These three documents are broken into “criteria for recognition as a flushable product, terms and definitions for determination of liability, and disintegration test methods - slosh box.” [2] These documents are currently “intended as a code of practice for manufacturers to adhere to” while the IWSFG participates in a more significant proposal that would create an internationally recognized standard for flushable products.
Despite these processes taking prolonged periods of time, there is still action that can be taken on an individual basis to protect the sewer systems, which consequently helps promote swimmable, drinkable, fishable waters. Naturally, understanding what can and cannot go down the toilet is a great starting point. Share this knowledge with family and friends; not only does it help avoid clogs and additional expenses in our own homes, but it helps mitigate property damage, microbial and chemical threats, and overall health risks. It also helps support municipal sewer systems keep on with business as usual.
Flushability Lab at Urban Water TMU, 2022
We believe taking this knowledge a step further to learn more and better comprehend where exactly your poop (or wipes) go after they’re flushed is one of the best solutions. Being knowledgeable and caring about sewage may not seem like environmentalism, but it very much is. Expanding your understanding of this issue not only helps protect the environment but it strengthens your connection to local waters.
We want to see action from the federal government on this matter. We want a legal definition of flushable because it means protecting the environment. Our efforts to protect the water have to go beyond the surface level, in this case, all the way down to our sewer systems. Let’s not let this issue be out of sight, out of mind, because it certainly isn’t when waste ends up floating in our waterways.
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