How you can help

Don’t Flush It … Bag It and Bin It and help the sewers flow. Sewers are designed to take away wastewater each time you pull the plug in the sink or bath and when you flush away toilet paper or human waste. It can also take rainwater from road drains.

The challenge is to find another way to get rid of sanitary items and other personal waste. For health reasons, we recommend these items are first placed in bags before being put in the bin.

Every month, more than 1,000 tonnes of waste is collected at our treatment works and disposed of. 50% of which is female sanitary products.

Discarded items may appear to flush away but they can soon collect and build up in the sewers, restrict the flow and create a blockage. This can eventually cause properties to flood.

During periods of heavy rain, stormwater overflows will spill their content into rivers and beaches. As will as being unsightly, it can pose a health risk to our wildlife and marine environment.

So what can you do to help?

• Put wipes and cotton buds in the bin.
• Bag disposable razors, sanitary products, nappies, other plastic items and condoms, and also put them in a bin.
• Ask for guidance from local authorities on the correct disposal of medical items, like bandages, syringes and needles.
• Put kitchen waste (such as vegetable peelings, tea bags) on a compost heap or in the bin.
• Allow cooking fats to solidify and then use to feed the birds or put them in the bin (fat from poultry should be bagged and binned).
• Take unwanted cooking oils and fats to a recycling centre for safe disposal, but you will need to check that your local authority collects this waste first.