On Saturday the 17th of August, Clean Coasts and Uisce Éireann headed to Greystones in Wicklow to attend the inaugural Greystones Open Water Festival hosted my Damien Wildes, of Flow State Swimming. The festival offered a variety of activities such as beach cleans, swimming races, sand sculpting competitions as well as presentations and stalls. The TBYF stall encouraged people of all ages to cultivate responsible flushing behaviors and to pledge their commitment to the “Think Before You Flush” campaign. This initiative aims to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of flushing sanitary products and other damaging items down the toilet and to promote responsible waste management practices.
The “Think Before You Flush” campaign, operated by Clean Coasts in partnership with Uisce Éireann, emphasises the importance of appropriate flushing behaviour and disposal of items including wipes and other sanitary products in the bin, even if they are labelled as flushable. Only the 3 Ps, pee, poo and paper should be flushed down the toilet. When items such as wet wipes are flushed down the toilet, they can cause serious blockages in sewage systems, causing sewage overflows and ultimately polluting our coastal waters and beaches.
The Open Water Festival has been a regular occurrence in Greystones the last couple of years. With the cooperation of Swim Ireland, Damien Wildes, the main organiser brought together groups and individuals who are doing their best to protect our East Coast shoreline. The day was filled with water dips, races, demonstrations, presentations and interviews. The TBYF team hosted a stall at the exhibition along with a presentation which discussed marine litter, wastewater treatment, and ways to safeguard our wastewater network and coastal habitats. At the stall, the TBYF team were able to engage with all of the festivals participants, discussing the damaging impacts of flushing non organic material items down the toilet. As well as conducting some experiments and games with the children.
The team also discussed the Think Before You Pour campaign that looks at the issue of pouring fats, oils, and greases (FOGs) from cooking down the kitchen sink. Instead of flowing freely, FOG’s cool and harden as they travel along the wastewater network. When FOGs combine with sewage related litter such as wipes, hair and dental floss fatbergs can form. Uisce Éireann clears hundreds of blockages, including fatbergs, from the wastewater network every week. The Think Before Pour campaign urges everyone to avoid washing FOGs down the kitchen drain and, instead, dispose of them in the bin once cool.
Speaking about the evening Sinéad Keogh from Clean Coasts said: “We are thankful to the organisers of the Open Water Festival here in Greystones for inviting us to be part of this festival. We are having a fantastic day with an amazing line up of talks, demonstrations, activities, and much more!
We are delighted to be in Greystones and engage in conversations about the Think Before You Flush campaign with every member of the community. Sewage-related litter poses a real burden on our wastewater network and marine environment. The wonderful news is that the solution is straightforward. Only flush the 3 Ps (pee, poo, and paper) down the toilet. Everything else belongs in the bin. Through collaboration, we can support better flushing behaviour and deliver a tangible positive impact on our natural environment.”
Event organiser Damien Wildes had this to say: ‘The Open Water Festival aims to shed a light on the East Coast and everything it has to offer. An important aspect of this is ensuring ecology, biodiversity and sustainability are discussed and highlighted so it’s fantastic to have Clean Coasts there on the day. Their talk was hugely informative and highlighted simple ways everyone can help protect our shorelines and coastal waters and how individual actions can, collectively, have a significant impact. I was delighted to have them involved and, fingers crossed, it is something we can repeat into the future. A huge thank you to Sinead and Aine for all their work!’