Wet Wipes are choking NYC's sewer system. Though they're frequently branded as being "flushable," the Department of Environmental Protection begs to differ, having spent more than $18 million in just five years trying to unravel the little buggers from the city's sanitation equipment.
The Times reports today that what begins as a convenient solution for sanitizing one's hands post-subway ride or wiping mustard from your kid's face at the ballpark become increasingly pernicious as the wipes navigate the city's sewers, picking up other substances like "congealed grease" as they go—like "demon snowballs," in the Times' parlance.
The City Council last month introduced a bill that would prohibit the wipes from being advertised as "flushable," in addition to a new public awareness campaign launched by DEP that would educate the public on the proper receptacle for used wipes: the trash. Environmental advocates have also called upon the disposable wipe industry to improve labeling, in addition to cracking down on what's OK to drop in your toilet and what isn't.
The current test for flushability, since you asked, is known as the "slosh box test:"
Critics say the test, which rocks wipes back and forth in a crate of water, does not properly mimic the wastewater system, allowing manufacturers to claim flushability for a product that may be too sturdy for treatment systems. The test is “a lot more turbulent than the flow that you find in a wastewater pipe,” said Cynthia Finley, director of regulatory affairs for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. Flushed materials, she added, generally move “on very gentle slopes.”
TL;DR: Just stick to hand sanitizer, OK? Because this video also shows how flushable wipes won't break down.
