Clog Prevention

The three Ps are all that you should flush. Pee, poo and toilet paper! Your sewer system was never built to manage garbage. It was designed to handle human waste and toilet paper. That’s it.

Flushing anything else can prove frightening and can result in A CLOG!

A clog in your sewer system may result in a backup. If that happens, you could face thousands of dollars in repairs and severe damages to your property. Your municipality will not cover the cost of these repairs. Damages to municipal sewer systems caused by improper disposal of garbage may also result in an increase in your taxes and utility bills. Remember, the only things you should flush are the three Ps: pee, poo and toilet paper.

Be wary of products claiming to be flushable

The Municipal Enforcement Sewer Use Group (MESUG) estimates Canadians spend $250 million annually for clog cleanup due just to flushable wipes. From January 1 to December 31, 2016, the average sewer backup cost to Albertan homeowners was $21,852.15 per household. There’s currently no regulation around the word flushable in Canada.

That means that when you see the word flushable, don’t be misled! Even wipes designed for bathroom use that are advertised as flushable can cause a significant clog in our system. The fact is wipes don’t break down as quickly as toilet paper and can act as a catch-all for other products that are flushed after it.

By acting like a net and catching other solids like hair, facial tissues and paper towels, it slowly builds until it forms a clog in the pipe. To avoid a clog in your system, avoid flushing: