Dublin locals team up with Clean Coasts and Irish Water’s Think Before You Flush campaign for a new video showcasing the beautiful Dublin coastline, while urging people not to flush unsuitable items down the toilet.
In a brand new video produced by the Think Before You Flush campaign, people living and visiting Dublin are encouraged to keep their local environment; beaches and riverways clean by only flushing the 3 P’s – pee, poo and paper, down the toilet and putting wipes, sanitary items and cotton bud sticks in the bin.
The video features recognisable faces from Dublin: social media influencer, entrepreneur and television presenter James Kavanagh, former Dublin Lord Mayor Councillor Hazel Chu and long term Clean Coasts volunteer and Sandycove resident Margaret Brown.
This video showcases the beautiful and diverse coastline and waterways Dublin has to offer. Presenting stunning shots of the Liffey, the urban coastline and the city centre, the video is a celebration of Dublin’s wonderful natural environment, while offering simple steps to help conserve and protect it, directly from home.
The video urges the people of Dublin to make small changes in their flushing behaviour, by never flushing items like wipes, cotton buds and sanitary waste down the toilet. The video highlights the impacts of flushing unsuitable items and encourages positive behavioural change.
Why #ThinkB4UFlush?
Unlike toilet paper, which is designed to disintegrate quickly in our pipes and sewage systems, the synthetic materials in items like wipes, cotton buds and sanitary products makes them very strong and unable to break down. When these unsuitable items are flushed down the toilet, they can cause blockages in our wastewater network, pumping stations and wastewater treatment plants. These blockages can result in wastewater overflows which can end up on our beaches and in our oceans, damaging our marine environment. Think Before You Flush is a public awareness campaign operated by Clean Coasts in partnership with Irish Water, which addresses the issue of flushing these unsuitable items down the toilet..
Speaking about the campaign James Kavanagh, television presenter and social media influencer said “Dublin is a such a great city, and we are so lucky to have magnificent beaches and waterways right on our doorstep. We need to make sure we protect our local environment and Dublin’s coast. I was delighted to be involved in the Think Before You Flush video shot in Dublin to promote how our actions at home can a big impact on our coastline. Items like wipes and cotton buds should never be flushed down the toilet as they can cause blockages in our wastewater networks and pollute our environment. Always Think Before You Flush.”
Former Lord Mayor Hazel Chu added, “Dublin is a beautiful county with a wonderful coastline enjoyed by many. While we love to reap the benefits of that coastline we also need to protect it. I was delighted to be involved in the Think Before You Flush video shoot in Dublin. It highlighted our beautiful city and county while pointing out the important message of not flushing items like wipes and cotton buds down the toilet. These items can cause wastewater blockages and pollute our environment. All waste like this belongs in the bin, as residents of Dublin what we do in our homes can have an impact on our local environment.”
Talking about the size and scale of the problem associated with flushing the wrong things down the toilet, Donal Heaney, Irish Water said: “In Dublin items such as wipes, sanitary products, hair, dental floss are flushed down the toilet every day instead of simply putting them in the bin. Every month we remove 60 tonnes of wipes and other inappropriately flushed items from our inlet screens at Ringsend wastewater treatment plant. We are reminding people to Think Before You Flush.”
Check out the video on YouTube and Clean Coasts’ social media.