by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
In being challenged the makers of a common wet “toilet paper” (no, it is not a paper) sold in the UK, Kimberly-Clark, claimed that their wipes are made from natural fibers and are biodegradable and thus their wipes are not the problem, despite the fact that the water companies tell a different story. Considering that those wipes, like all the others, and material is irrelevant here, are so-called non-woven fabric means that they are being held together by some synthetic stuff, more than likely a glue of sorts, that also is not water soluble and thus remains a contaminant.
The problem is that the consumer is being confused and misled, and that, apparently, deliberately so, by claims of biodegradable and, in this instance, of “flushable”. Maybe, we, as consumers and users, must make the conscious choice and effort either not to use them or if we do simply not to thrown them down the toilet pan and flush. Wet wipes belong into the bin not the pan, period. They are not biodegradable even though they are “flushable” which is to say that they can be flushed down the drain, but which they should not, however.
It caused hours and hours of work to remove them from the rakes of the water treatment plants and that is a very costly operation, the costs which are, obviously, being passed on to us in the water and waste water bills. I doubt that, even if people do not throw wet wipes and other non-biodegradable stuff down the drain and the costs come down that the water and waste water bills come down, as the companies are ever ready (no, they are not batteries) to increase the bills at the slightest increase in operating costs but bringing them down, well, almost never if ever. Nevertheless, fact is that the things, whatever the cl,aims that may be made by the manufacturers, are not biodegradable and therefore do not belong down the sewers, period.
© 2017
