Americans coping with coronavirus are clogging toilets with wipes and T-shirts
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The all-caps message on the new sign that went up in Redding, California, after the coronavirus came to town could not be any clearer: ONLY FLUSH TOILET PAPER.
It made its debut last week on the corner of Smile Place and Russell Street after a desperate soul clogged one of the city’s sewer lines by wiping with pieces of shredded T-shirt — and flushing them down the toilet, the city confirmed.
Quick work by members of the city’s Department of Public Works averted what could have been a smelly disaster, officials there said.
The City of Redding has put up signs warning residents not to flush anything that isn't toilet paper. Courtesy City of Redding “The sewer line that had plugged up last week was not substantially different than any other sewer blockage from people flushing products that they aren’t supposed to, just that it was during the toilet paper shortage and was intentionally flushed in lieu of traditional toilet paper,” Ryan Bailey, assistant director of public works, said in an email to NBC News. “The item was specifically cut T-shirts.”
What happened in Redding is not an anomaly.
There have been reports of sewage systems and toilets clogging across the country as Americans faced with a shortage of toilet paper have resorted to using baby wipes, paper towels, napkins and tissues — and flushing them away.
Washington has taken notice.
"Toilets are not trash cans," the Environmental Protection Agency said in a tweet posted Monday.
Roto-Rooter , one of the nation’s biggest plumbing service providers, has sent out an email to its many customers spelling out the “flushing rules.”
“If you're all out of toilet paper, there's no perfect solution, but you should never flush paper towels and napkins,” the rules state. “They don't dissolve quickly in water and are likely to cause your toilet to back up. Facial tissue is another bad idea, but in the absence of toilet paper, you can use it in small amounts if you flush frequently.”
In South Florida, the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department urged residents to bag dirty wipes instead and throw them out with the trash.
“This increase in the use of cleaning wipes is only exacerbating a problem we deal with on a daily basis,” Jennifer Messemer-Skold told the Miami Herald .
The county already removes 300 tons of wipes from its sewer system every month, the paper reported.
And in Chicago, retired plumber Craig Campeglia told the Chicago Tribune that he expects the phones of sewer drain experts will be ringing off the hook once the shelter-at-home rules start easing up.
“This is a crazy time,” Campeglia said. “I don’t know why people are hoarding toilet paper. But I do know the only thing that should go down a toilet is sh--, pi-- and toilet paper. Anything else, put it in a bag, seal it up and toss it in the garbage. That’s what it’s for.”
In New York City, the owner of Queens-based Johnny Drain Cleaning said they were routinely cleaning out sewage lines clogged with “tissues and wipes and other stuff” even before this crisis.
“But for some reason, lately, the lines are being clogged by people using too much toilet paper,” said the owner, who goes by Johnny Drain. “I don’t get it.”
“Drain is my stage name,” he added with a chuckle. And his business is located in, of course, the Flushing neighborhood of Queens.
There has also been a run on disinfectant wipes, the result of well-meaning homeowners who have been following the recommendations of public health officials and sterilizing often-touched surfaces such as faucets, doorknobs and countertops, industry experts said.
Those disinfectant wipes, all too often, also wind up in the toilet, Bailey from Redding, California, said.
“Nonflushable products have always been a problem in sewer systems,” he said. “We spend a lot of time and money every year trying to educate people about the problem with flushing anything down the toilet other than traditional toilet paper. In recent years, there has been an increased market for ‘flushable’ wipes and other products, none of which are designed to break down during the treatment process.”
But the current crisis has forced Redding officials to take extra measures.
They have started distributing door hangers that say “Think Before You Flush” and list what can or can’t be flushed down the can.
And that sign?
“The sign was initially located in the neighborhood of the incident,” Bailey said. “We have since moved it around town.”
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I didn't know that insanity was a side-effect of fear of covid-19. Such panic. Just use a washcloth and wash it after use. No need to tear up the bedsheets and curtains into squares. Unbelievable. I posted an article here about this.
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Redding CA..isn't that the home of the mythical kingdom of Jeffersonia?
That explains a lot!
Haha!
A lot of really authentic mexican restaurants have trash cans by the toilets. When I asked about it, apparently Mexicans are already in the habit of throwing even toilet paper in the trash instead of flushing it. Seemed kind of gross at the time but now it seems they were on to something.....
When I was in Tijuana years ago, there were napkins on all the tables ... And no toilet paper in the bathrooms . You were expected to bring napkins with you and use the trash cans
When I was in Mexico there were a lot of 'pay' public toilets. They would charge so much for some paper.
Well it would save hundreds of millions of dollars at sewer treatment plants but bathrooms would stink terribly.
That only happens because their Sanitary piping systems tend to suck compared to ours and can’t handle brown trout and wads of TP at the same time. They plug up.
Be thankful ours generally don’t have that problem. Just one more thing most Americans take for granted ..
Lol ....people trying to assign a political party with stupidity because they do dumbass things like flushing towels and wash clothes down the shitter.
I’m here to tell you, stupidity doesn’t have a political bias.
Not in the least.
This is so true. I am so tired of this issue which is affecting the entirety of the country being blamed on Democrats & Republicans. At a time when we should be coming together the divide is growing. Ridculous.
Yep, spot on.
I totally agree with you Sparty. I posted this just because I couldn't believe it was an article.
Nah, it’s a great article.
It illustrates many people’s fundamental misunderstanding of a typical sanitary sewer system. Well that and simple stupidity.
Hey, if I flush it down the toilet it just magically disappears right?
That was funny enough that I almost sheet my drawers.