Apparently, people are using a lot more personal wipes and baby wipes during the pandemic. Then, they’re flushing them down the toilet. Officials in Macomb and Oakland counties say those so-called “flushable” wipes are wreaking havoc on sewer pipes and pump stations.
“A couple of years ago, we had about 70 tons of these things, but just recently we completed a cleanup that was 270 tons. So just a huge increase,” said Candice Miller, the Public Works Commissioner of Macomb County.
She says the wipes are not biodegradable and they’re jamming things up at some pump stations.
“In a pandemic, the worst thing that could happen is they have a sewer backup, which could happen if these things continue like this,” she added.
Miller is asking people to throw the wipes into the trash instead of flushing them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u-KGEH75_E&t=7s
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