Wipes, diapers cause headaches for wastewater plants

A dingy lump of discolored wipes sits at the bottom of a large metal trash container at the NEW Water wastewater treatment plant in Green Bay.

The cluster of wipes, and other items, were pulled off a screen designed to snag debris not intended to be in the waste stream.

Wipes, underwear, paper towels, diapers, rope, dentures, and even money, get caught in filtration screens leading into the treatment facility. All are items that don't breakdown in the system, and cause problems — like blocked pumps — for operators.

"You get the rope, the diapers, wipes. They have a tendency to plug things up, and that becomes a real problem," said Aaron Eichhorst, a wastewater treatment operator at NEW Water. "A wastewater treatment plant is designed to treat biological waste, not garbage.

"Everywhere there is a pump around here, we've had issues with pumps plugging with rags."

The issue is exacerbated during heavy rain when the volume of water entering the plant increases.

Brian Vander Loop, field services manager with NEW Water, said mechanical problems caused by wayward items in the system create more work for employees, driving up costs that can ultimately be passed on to the consumer.

"If the products make it to us, they get caught up in our pumps, which cause maintenance problems for us," Vander Loop said. "They get caught in our screening areas which also cause maintenance problems."

NEW Water is the brand name for the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewage District. It serves 18 communities in the Green Bay area and operates treatment facilities in Green Bay and De Pere.

"Ultimately it comes down to costs," Vander Loop said about debris in the system. "If we have to call people in, it costs us money... If our costs go up, our rates go up."

New Water has been dealing with increased issues from wipes and non-flushable debris for the last five or six years, he said. Its been an issue in larger cities for about 15 years.

Vander Loop said the treatment plant has adopted operating practices aimed at helping deal with wipes and other items that are anathema to the water treatment process.

A representative of non-woven industry association — which includes manufacturers of wipe products — said it works with three wastewater organizations on the wipe issue. In the last decade, it has developed a seven-criteria guideline for disposable wipes designed to break down when flushed.

"Those products are not causing the problems," said Dave Rousse, president of the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry. "However, there a lot of products, including wipes products, that were never designed to be flushed down the toilet, and should not be flushed down the toilet."

The organization is working to make sure products that aren't intended to be flushed are clearly marked as not disposable in a toilet.

"While this may be very important to us, it is not the top-of-the-mind to most consumers," Rousse said.

"But you have consumers who are environmentally conscious and will look for proper disposal instructions, and adhere to those instructions ... but you have a lot of folks that just do what is convenient."

An effort is underway to develop an international standard for products sold as flushable, according to a report earlier this month from The Canadian Press. It points out some in the wastewater industry see flushable wipes as a culprit of sewer problems.

Both the non-woven industry and wastewater operators say public education is at the heart of keeping non-flushable items out of the system — and out of treatment plant equipment.

"There are products sold that aren't specifically labeled as flushable, but I think consumers perceive them to be flushable," Vander Loop said.

"They look similar to the other products. A lot of times it's out of sight, out of mind. They think they think they can flush it down and let someone else deal with it."

Items that shouldn't be flushed can also end up blocking lines flowing out of homes, which can cause basement backups of raw sewage, Vander Loop said.

The NEW plant in Green Bay treats about 30 million gallons of water a day, Vander Loop said. The system is highly automated with four employees responsible for keeping it running.

Some in the wastewater industry espouse only flushing the three Ps: pee, poop, and paper — as in toilet paper, which breaks down quickly in the system.

"It really comes down to public education," he said. "People have to realize there are certain things can be flushed, and certain things that should never be flushed. It starts at the households."

— nphelps@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @nathanphelpsPG or on Facebook at Nathan Phelps (Press-Gazette)

Don't flush it

Things the city of Portland, Oregon, says should never go down the toilet:

• Disposable diapers

• Tampons and tampon applicators

• Sanitary napkins

• Cotton balls and swabs

• Mini or maxi pads

• Condoms

• Cleaning wipes of any kind

• Facial tissue

• Bandages and bandage wrappings

• Automotive fluids

• Paint, solvents, sealants and thinners

• Poisons and hazardous waste

• Unused medications

• Fats, oils, and grease