Tolleson: Flushing Wipes Costs City, Households Hundreds | The Locally Times
A city notice states so-called 'flushable' wipes do not exist, causing plumbing blockages that cost residents hundreds of dollars and require expensive public equipment to clear.
The City of Tolleson is advising residents that flushing any type of wipe down the toilet leads to costly repairs for both individual households and municipal infrastructure. The document makes a definitive statement on products marketed as sewer-safe, asserting that no wipes are truly 'flushable,' regardless of package labeling. The city recommends that used wipes be disposed of in a covered trash container to prevent plumbing and sewer system damage. This guidance positions the city in direct opposition to the claims made on many personal care product packages, shifting the responsibility for disposal from the sewer system to the solid waste stream. ## Blockages Create Private and Public Costs The city’s warning details a two-fold financial consequence of flushing wipes. First, the notice states that wipes can accumulate in a home’s private plumbing, causing a stoppage. Clearing this type of blockage requires a plumber, a service that the notice states can cost residents hundreds of dollars. Second, wipes that pass through household pipes then enter the public sewer system. According to the city document, these wipes can clog Tolleson’s public sewer pipes. Resolving these municipal clogs requires the deployment of a city crew using what the notice describes as very expensive industrial equipment. The city’s warning does not specify the cost of this equipment or the frequency of its use. The notice also identifies the City of Tolleson’s wastewater treatment plant as another point of failure, where pumps and screens can become clogged by the material from wipes. ## Unquantified Burdens and Broader Guidance While the city’s notice warns of expensive repairs, public records do not quantify the total financial burden that wipe-related blockages place on the municipal budget. The documents do not provide a breakdown of costs for labor, equipment acquisition, or maintenance related to clearing the public sewer system and wastewater treatment plant. Similarly, records do not specify the number of Tolleson households that have incurred plumbing bills due to wipe-induced clogs since the warning was first posted in 2020. The city’s guidance on protecting plumbing infrastructure extends beyond the bathroom. The same “News Flash” advises residents to put food garbage in the trash rather than down a kitchen sink’s garbage disposal. The document suggests that this practice helps homeowners avoid costly kitchen plumbing bills. The city has not released information on whether the problems of flushed wipes and food disposal have increased since the initial 2020 notice or if any new educational campaigns or policies are under consideration to address the costs.