Guernsey Water unconvinced by ‘fine to flush’ wet wipe claims
DESPITE the ‘fine to flush’ labels on certain wipes, Guernsey Water is reminding islanders to flush only the three Ps: pee, poo and paper.
The advice follows an announcement from Waitrose that it has become the first UK supermarket to achieve ‘fine to flush’ certification for its own label wet wipes.
Waitrose fragrance-free moist toilet tissue refills and its lightly fragranced moist toilet tissue refills are now ‘fine to flush’, the standard introduced in January this year by Water UK, which represents water companies across the country.
The two products, which are both plastic-free, have passed tests that show they break down quickly and easily in the sewer system, the supermarket claims.
The tests are carried out by WRc, the independent technical experts who developed the flushability standards in conjunction with Water UK.
However, Guernsey Water’s operations manager Jon Holt said the company is yet to be convinced that the wipes will break down sufficiently to travel through Guernsey’s network without issue.
Following the release of its latest annual report, the utility advised it would be working to help islanders understand the importance of its wastewater network, what keeps it flowing and what should and should not be flushed or disposed of down the drain.
‘We are frequently addressing blockages within our network as a result of our pumping stations being overwhelmed with wipes and other items that should not be flushed,’ Mr Holt said.
‘We have all seen the huge fatbergs within the media of late, and although our blockages are on a smaller scale, the island’s sewers are still being put under considerable strain.’
Approximately two tonnes of non-biodegradable material is removed every week from the Belle Greve Wastewater Centre following screening.
Guernsey Water confirmed that the majority of this material was wipes.
‘The wipes that are screened out at Belle Greve are the ones that make it through the network, in reality we know that there are many more within the sewers and pumping stations posing a very real risk of blockage.
‘We would like to take this opportunity to strongly advise and remind islanders who use wipes to ensure they dispose of them responsibly in the bin and not down the drain.’
A Waitrose & Partners spokesman said: ‘The “Fine to Flush” standard was introduced by Water UK earlier this year and the certification has been given to our own-label toilet tissue wet wipe refills.
‘The wipes have undergone testing by WRc, the independent experts who developed the flushability standards with Water UK, to verify they break down quickly and easily, however, we are keen to work with Guernsey Water to resolve any concerns they have.’
