1.5 metre mass of baby wipes found clogging Cork sewer

This is pretty shocking.

There are a few items that even though they seem like they might be fine to flush down the toilet, really aren't. One of the biggest culprits for this are baby wipes/ wet wipes. Baby wipes unlike toilet papers can not be flushed because not only are they an environmental hazard as baby wipes do not break down like toilet paper does, but they are also a major factor in pipe blockages. In fact, baby wipes are the number one reason for most pipe blockages, and no one knows that better than the people of Cork after a 1.5 metre mass of baby wipes was found clogging Cork sewer.

⚠️ 375mm sewer blocked with wipes! Took @corkcitycouncil crews 8 hrs to unblock this on Sat! 8 tanker loads (!!!) of high pressure jetting to dislodge the main plug of rags. Approx cost to taxpayer: €2,600! Enough with the wipes! ?#BinTheWipesLads@IrishWater@Ballynamona pic.twitter.com/tY2D8a1w5x

— Simon Lyons (@ThePoliteEng) September 6, 2021

Chartered engineer and Water Framework Director at Cork City Council, Simon Lyons, posted earlier this week showing the huge mass of baby wipes that were found blocking the sewer system. In his Tweet he said that the blockage spanned 375mm and took Cork City Council over eight hours to unblock. He went on to say that it took eight tanker loads of high pressure jetting to make an impact and dislodge the main mass of baby wipes. If you're using baby wipes or similar wet wipe type products, always remember to bin then rather than flushing them down the toilet. While it might seem convenient at the type to flush them in the long run they will have terrible affects on not just your sewer system, but they will have a very harmful impact on the environment too.