SO THAT THE WASTEWATER CAN FLOW

Wet wipes and hygiene wipes belong in the household waste and not in the toilet

(djd). Modern sewage treatment plants clean the wastewater from many millions of households, companies and facilities in Germany carefully and in an environmentally friendly manner. But even the best technology reaches its limits when things end up in the toilet that don't belong there. Such as wet wipes and hygiene wipes. Many use them for hygiene because they are small, practical and scented. An example from north-western Lower Saxony shows how much effort their improper disposal can cause.
 

 Cloths bring pumps to a standstill

 
 The problem with the fleece cloths flushed down the toilet occupies the employees of the sewage treatment plant of the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV) in the Lower Saxony municipality of Saterland every week: the hygiene products clog the dirty water pumps. Inside they form long, matted and tough strands. So tough that they bring the pumps to a standstill, which are supposed to transport the wastewater from the approximately 12,000 residents connected to the sewage treatment plant in Scharrel. "We have to remove these braids up to twice a week at any time of the year, especially in the two main pumping stations," reports OOWV regional manager Stefan Krauß. In order to limit the consequences of incorrectly disposed wet wipes, the water association in Scharrel has implemented technical measures. For example other pumps were used that are a little less prone to failure when it comes to clogging caused by wet wipes."But that doesn't eliminate the cause of the problem," says Stefan Krauss. "Therefore, fleece wet wipes should only be disposed of with household waste and never down the toilet."
 

 Reusable washcloths as an environmentally friendly alternative

 
 Instead of wet wipes, you can, for example, moisten toilet paper with body lotion or a special spray for intimate hygiene, which also reduces the use of wet wipes and hygiene wipes. And finally, there is nothing wrong with using the good old reusable washcloth for personal hygiene for environmental reasons.