“Flushable wipes†have been in the news recently after reports that millions are spent every year on clearing sewers and pipes of blockages caused by so-called disposable wipes. This resulted in a call for disposable wipes to be really disposable and for better labelling on wipes.
INDA & EDANA manufacturing represent the vast majority of nonwovens supplied to the market today in North America and EMEA respectively (including Western Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Turkey, C.I.S and the Middle East and Africa), so it is a great victory that they have recently issued a new code of practice on labelling of wipes.
The new code of practice requires all wipes manufacturers to prominently display a ‘Do Not Flush’ label on the front of products likely to be contaminated by faeces, menses or urine that have not passed an appropriate flushability standard.
Recently the UK water industry led an international flushability statement which now has support from 314 organisations across 26 different countries.
Water UK recently developed its own flushability testing guidelines: ‘the SNAP protocol’, a series of seven tests a wipe product must pass in order for a flushable claim to be associated with the product. The SNAP protocol was developed and based on water industry expertise on flushability in the sewer network. None of the wipes currently on sale in the UK or overseas have met these water industry flushability guidelines.
Sarah Mukherjee, Director of Environment at Water UK, said:
“Water UK recognises that customer awareness on what can and cannot be flushed is essential, and we will continue to promote the 3Ps message: only pee, poo and paper can go down the loo. The 3Ps message should be supported by manufacturer labelling, to help reduce sewer blockages and related incidents.”
Water UK will be working on a national customer awareness campaign in 2017 with other relevant stakeholders and will continue to support local water company awareness campaigns on flushability.
