Coliban Water has welcomed the release of a new draft Standard, issued this week by Standards Australia, which helps to define what products can and cannot be flushed down the toilet.
Managing Director Damian Wells said the draft Standard, known as DR AS/NZS 5328 Flushable Products, is now available on the Standards Australia website here for a nine-week public consultation period.
“This is excellent news and we hope it will provide clarity for manufacturers of flushable wipes. For some time now, we have advised communities that wipes do not break down in our sewer network and therefore can’t be flushed.
“This new Standard will benefit not only our communities and the operation of our local wastewater system, but people all over Australia, the environment and the water industry as a whole,” Mr Wells said.
Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) Executive Director Adam Lovell said the draft Australia and New Zealand Standard defines the criteria for materials suitable for toilet flushing, along with appropriate labelling requirements and will be one of the first of its kind internationally, where both utilities and manufacturers have come together in its development.
“The draft Standard provides manufacturers with clear specifications including labelling guidance and requirements, and sets out methods for testing whether products are suitable for toilet flushing and compatible with wastewater systems and the environment.”
“It has been developed by a technical committee including manufacturers, water utilities, peak bodies and consumer groups and includes pass/fail criteria,” said Mr Lovell.
“We know wipes and other items that shouldn’t be flushed are an issue for water agencies around the globe, disrupting customer services, creating extra costs for water utilities and customers, and impacting the environment through sewage overflows,” he said.
The Bendigo sewer network is comprised of 1,957 kilometers of sewer mains and Coliban Water spends almost $1 million each year cleaning and maintaining the network.
In March 2020, when COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdowns began, and toilet paper shortages started, Coliban Water experienced a 20 per cent increase in blockages in its network compared to March the previous year.
“We believe this was due to an increase in foreign objects, including wet wipes being flushed,” Mr Wells said.
In the Coliban Water region, wet wipes were also the cause of two blockages during June in Strathdale.
“Our crews were called out to a sewer main near Beischer Oval, Strathdale. Whilst containing and cleaning up the initial overflow, the team located another blockage on the same sewer main,” Mr Wells said.
“Thankfully there was no impact to waterways during this event.”
WSAA and the urban water industry in Australia and New Zealand have been concerned about the impact of wet wipes products blocking pipes for some time.
Comments on the draft Standard are open until November 1.
WSAA has issued information on the draft Standard, available here.
Last updated on 31 Aug 2021