What 2 Flush

May 18, 2016

The What 2 Flush website includes public service announcements, nondispersible-related news, and information explaining why certain materials shouldn’t be put down the drain. Photo courtesy of OCSD.

Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD; Fountain Valley, Calif.) What 2 Flush “swag” helps spread the message that flushing anything other than human waste and toilet paper down toilets can cause clogs and harm the environment. Photos courtesy of OCSD.

To educate ratepayers about wipes and many other products that can cause clogs and harm the environment, the Orange County Sanitation District (Fountain Valley, Calif.) launched its What 2 Flush website. The online resource includes public service announcements, nondispersible-related news, and list of information explaining why certain materials shouldn’t be put down the drain.

The What 2 Fluch program educates ratepayers about the hazards of using toilets as trash cans. Photo courtesy of OCSD.

Materials that should not go down the drain include prescription drugs; kitty litter; condoms; dental floss; fats, oils, and grease; food; coffee grounds; eggshells; hair; and household hazardous materials.

The website features the headline “The toilet is only meant to flush the three Ps —pee, poop, and (toilet) paper,” and displays campaign “swag” such as signs, hats, t-shirts, and backpacks displaying the What 2 Flush logo.

— Jeff Gunderson, WEF Highlights

WEF Highlights Showcases Flushables Outreach Efforts

As the nondispersibles issue continues to grow, utilities are turning to humor to educate the public. In the footsteps of the Singing Sewermen from Thames Water (London), utilities are creating unique and humorous public service announcements (PSAs) and campaigns to educate the public about what can and cannot go down the drain or toilet.

Use keyword FlushablePSA to find all WEF Highlights articles on these efforts. Do you have a unique flushable PSA to share? Send it to Jennifer Fulcher, WEF Highlights editor, at jfulcher@wef.org.