Pupils asked to ‘Think Before You Flush’
School is back and pupils are being urged to Think Before You Flush!
Clean Coasts ,in partnership with Irish Water, are asking pupils to help protect their local environment by being mindful of the connection between the toilet and the beaches.
Only the 3 Ps (pee, poo and paper) should be flushed down the toilet and everything else should go in the bin.
If the wrong things, like wipes, dental floss and sanitary items, get flushed down the toilet, they can lead to blockages, wastewater overflows and discharges to the marine environment, where they can harm wildlife or wash up on our shores.
Why #ThinkB4UFlush?
Approximately 2,000 blockages occur in the Irish Water wastewater network every month, 75% of which are caused by wipes.
Raising awareness of this issue, particularly with schools, will help get an important message out to a wider younger audience.
A recent conducted earlier this year found that there has been a 33% reduction in the number of people flushing sanitary related items down the toilet, which is a great achievement, but more is needed.
The same survey found that 1 in 4, approximately 1 million people, are still flushing inappropriate items down the toilet, and the highest incidence of sewage related littering is in the younger ages.
The reason many people gave for flushing unsuitable items down the toilet was simply not knowing they should not do it.
Donal Heaney, regional operations manager at Irish Water, said: “At our wastewater treatment plants, we remove lots of wipes and other items from the screens at the inlets. Our crews also deal with thousands of blockages in the sewers, which can cause overflows.”
Elaine from Clean Coasts added: “We know that by educating children on environmentally responsible behaviour, it sets them up to become environmentally responsible adults and possible future change-makers.
“Making small changes in our homes, only flushing the 3 Ps down the toilet and simply putting a bin in your bathroom can have a significant positive impact on our local waterways, beaches and rocky shorelines.”
Join the campaign at www.thinkbeforeyouflush.org and follow @CleanCoasts on social media: