MARSHFIELD, Wis (WSAU) — The “No Wipes Down the Pipes” campaign is kicking off a year-long awareness campaign about the enormous cost of flushing disposable wipes down the commode.
Marshfield’s wastewater superintendent Sam Warp came up with the idea for the campaign that’s taking off statewide, and says few people know that “so-called” disposable wipes of any kind cause millions of dollars in damage to wastewater infrastructure every year. According to Warp, “The city’s spending, between last year and this year, we’re spending upgrading our lift-stations because of disposable wipes. The only thing that really should go down the toilet, is toilet paper.”
On the issue of what is and what is not flushable, Warp says, “When they say it’s flushable, that just means that if you put it in the bowl and hit the lever it goes away. Now if you work for Procter and Gamble you think that’s ‘flushable’ and that’s what it means. But if you work on the wastewater side you don’t agree.” A special “No Wipes Down the Pipes” drinking cup that changes colors is being used to help promote the new campaign, and Warp says he’s been getting speaking invitations from schools and communities around the state to spread the message.