Most wastewater blockages occur when people flush things down their toilets or sinks that they shouldn’t like wet wipes, fats and cooking oils.
Follow our practical tips below to stop these blockages from occurring and help protect our wastewater network and environment.
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Toilets
Everything you flush down your toilet ends up in our wastewater network and has to be treated – or removed – before it’s discharged into the ocean.
Only flush the three Ps (pee, poo and paper). Everything else should go in your rubbish bin including wet wipes, sanitary items and cotton buds. These items contain plastic and don’t disintegrate like toilet paper. Even wet wipes labelled as ‘flushable’ or ‘biodegradable’ block pipes and increase the risk of polluting our oceans and beaches.
Learn about how to Save Our Pipes From Wipes
Sinks
Washing leftover fats, oils and grease down your sink can block pipes as it cools and turns hard. Running hot water afterwards just moves the problem further down our wastewater network.
Instead:
- pour leftover cooled fat/oil/grease into a non-recyclable container or newspaper and put it in the rubbish
- scrape cooled fat from your pots and pans into your rubbish bin before washing
- add a strainer to your sink plug to catch food scraps and other solids that can join with fats to create a blockage.
Pipes and tree roots
As trees grow, their roots can find their way into wastewater pipes through joints (especially in older pipes) and block them, or simply displace a pipe and cause it to burst.
Root damage can also create gaps and holes, allowing stormwater to enter. During heavy rain, this extra water can overload our wastewater network and cause it to overflow into your backyard, streets and nearby waterways.
Before planting a tree, choose a location away from known pipes and gully traps. If your tree is causing problems for our city’s wastewater network, you may be charged for its removal.