Over the last year I have really enjoyed teaching you about the 4 P’s through humour and personal narrative but finding an appropriate way to combine a personal account with this topic is nearly impossible!
There are so many things I would like to say, however, they would undoubtedly end with “Sarah, we hope you enjoyed your time here at Aquatera.” And while I would certainly go out with a bang, I kind of love my job so this is not a risk I am willing to take.
Another risk I am not willing to take (and you shouldn’t either) is flushing latex products like gloves and condoms down the toilet.
Just because most gloves and condoms are made out of latex, a natural product that stems from rubber trees, doesn’t mean they are biodegradable. This is because they are often coated with chemicals that are harmful to the environment and make them difficult to break down – an estimated 30 years according to scientific research.
But latex gloves and condoms are not as easy to flush as you may think. Once they’ve made their way through your pipes they can act like a balloon and fill with water, leaving them to bob around on the surface. After they’ve deflated, they stick to the lining of pipes and cause blockages, preventing the flow of water.
For those that do flush these products, I recommend doing a quick GOOGLE IMAGE SEARCH… maybe it will change your mind. Yuck!
As our 4 P’s campaign comes to an end, I want to thank you for taking the time to read these blogs to understand the repercussions of flushing foreign objects. Remember, there are only four things can be safely flushed down a toilet: Pee, Poo, Paper (Toilet) and Puke. Anything outside of this can have serious consequences:
- Contamination of our waterways
- Harm, disease and death of wildlife and aquatic life
- Damage to our water infrastructure
- Unnecessary excavation
- Thousands of dollars in damages and repairs
And That’s a Wrap.