Mutton Island clogged up with 100 tonnes of wet wipes each month

Around 100 tonnes of wet wipes and other sanitary items – not designed to be flushed down the toilet – are being removed from the Mutton Island Sewage Treatment Plant every month.

The equivalent of eight double-decker buses, the comparison was put forward this week by Irish Water for the launch of this year’s ‘Think Before You Flush’ campaign in Galway City in conjunction with Galway City Council and Clean Coasts.

This year, the campaign is focusing on ‘the West’ – which has been rebranded as the ‘West End’ by local businesses.

A recent survey by B&A (Behaviour and Attitudes) found that almost 20,000 people living in the city regularly flush wet wipes and other sanitary items down the toilet.

“With the city getting ready for its annual influx of tourists and staycationers alike, businesses in the area are working together to spread the important ‘Think Before You Flush’ message as a B&A survey finds that one in four adults admit to flushing items down the toilet that are known to cause blockages in our wastewater network and treatment plants. That’s close to 20,000 people in Galway City alone,” a Council spokesperson said.

In the West End, the campaign is also encouraging the public and businesses to ‘Think Before You Pour’, and reduce the amount of Fats, Oils and Grease (FOGs) being poured down the sink.

Louise Dwyer of Irish Water said: “FOGs are liquid when poured, but they cool and harden as they travel along the pipe network and can cause blockages in our homes, businesses, the public sewer network and wastewater treatment plants.

“This can even lead to overflows of sewage in our communities and pollution in our waterways. When FOGs combine with wipes and other sewage related litter such as hair and dental floss fatbergs can form. Irish Water clears hundreds of blockages including fatbergs from the wastewater network every week. Approximately eight out of ten blockages are caused by inappropriate items being flushed down the toilet combined with FOGs.”

In Galway, Irish Water is also working with food service establishments including restaurants, takeaways and establishments where food is prepared to provide advice on best kitchen management for the prevention of FOG blockages and to ensure that they have a Fats, Oils and Grease Trade Effluent licence in place.

“The impacts of flushing the wrong things down the toilet and pouring FOGs down the sink are stark, as we are still removing hundreds of sewer blockages from our network every month.

“Mutton Island wastewater treatment plant is our largest treatment plant in the West. Close to 100 tonnes of wipes and other items are removed from the screens at the plant every month, that is the equivalent of 8 double decker buses of foul material that needs to be disposed of. This season, ‘Think Before You Flush’ and ‘Think Before You Pour’ and make our beaches and local environment cleaner and safer places to visit.

“Removing blockages can be a nasty job, sometimes workers have to enter sewers to remove blockages with shovels. Some blockages can be removed with jetting and suction equipment.

“I’ve seen pump blockages that workers have had to literally clear by hand in order to get the pumps up and running again in a race against time to avoid sewage overflows to the environment.

“In Galway City our message is simple, only the 3 Ps – pee, poo and paper – should be flushed down the toilet. All other items including wet wipes and other sanitary products should go in the bin, even if they are labelled as flushable. Similarly never pour FOGs down the sink, let pans and trays cool for a few minutes and using kitchen paper, scrape the setting fat into a container and dispose of the fat in the general bin.

“We are working hard in the Galway City area to reduce the number of sewer blockages, the risk of flooding to homes and businesses and the risk of pollution in the environment harming wildlife such as fish and birds and associated habitats,” said Ms Dwyer.

Elaine Doyle, a Think Before You Flush Campaigns Officer with Clean Coasts said: “This is a simple yet important campaign. Waste poured down the drain or flushed down the toilet can have a significant impact to a householder, business owner, the waste water network, water quality and marine life.

“All of us can take actions in our homes and places of work and make a real difference, not only helping our neighbours but helping marine life and our beautiful waterways. We are delighted to be running the Think Before Your Flush and Think Before You Pour campaigns in Galway City to spread the important message.”