What can and cannot be flushed down the toilet?

Toilets are still an alternative to the trash for many people today. However, throwing anything and everything down the toilet can have harmful consequences for the environment and your pipes.

Wipes, tampons, cotton swabs, medications... find out today which waste should not be thrown in the toilet.

Why can't we just flush everything down the toilet?

There are several reasons why certain waste should not be flushed down the toilet. In fact, some inappropriate waste may:

• Clog your pipes and cause bad smells;
• Damage your pipes;
• Clogging the sewage pumps of the sanitation services;
• Discharge into nature (soil, aquatic environments, etc.) substances that are toxic and harmful to the environment;
• Disrupting ecosystems.

What waste should not be flushed down the toilet?

A lot of waste ends up in sewage treatment plants that shouldn't be there. Even waste marked as "biodegradable" cannot be thrown down the toilet without thinking.

Period protection (tampons and sanitary napkins)

You might think that menstrual protection should be flushed down the toilet, just like toilet paper. However, this waste is not biodegradable and does not dissolve in water. Finally, menstrual protection often contains substances that are toxic and harmful to the environment.

The place for used sanitary protection is therefore in the trash.

Frying oil and other cooking fats

Fats can build up and cause damage to your pipes.

Once your frying oil is ready to be thrown away, it is best to transfer it to its original bottle using a funnel and then throw it in the trash.

Toilet paper rolls

You may have purchased toilet paper with a roll stamped "biodegradable." However, these rolls never completely disintegrate and slow down sewage systems.

THE toilet paper rolls must be thrown in the yellow bin (packaging).

The wipes

Baby wipes, intimate wipes, disinfectant wipes… none of these wastes can be thrown into the toilet. They are in fact extremely resistant and must be thrown in the trash to avoid the risk of blocking the grids of the sewage treatment plants.

Cotton swabs

The fineness of cotton buds means that these wastes can easily pass through the filtration grids of wastewater treatment plants and end up in aquatic and terrestrial environments. They therefore represent a risk for the environment (harmful substances) and for animals that may ingest them.

Cotton buds are therefore waste that should not be thrown in the toilet but in the trash.

Medicines

Drug residues are toxic to the environment and can weaken an entire ecosystem. It is therefore important not to flush this waste down the toilet.

However, the right thing to do is not to throw them in the trash. If you want to get rid of your medications, drop them off at a pharmacy.

Other waste not to be thrown in the toilet

The list of waste that should not be flushed down the toilet goes on and on. Here are some other items that you should keep away from your toilet:

• Cat litter;
• The painting;
• Condoms;
• Handkerchiefs;
• Paper towel;
• Contact lenses;
• Chewing gum;
• Cigarette butts;
• Hair;
• Dental floss.

The vast majority of waste should therefore not be thrown into the toilet and should only be placed in a trash can. Finally, keep in mind that only urine, feces and toilet paper can be thrown into the bowl of your toilet.