Clean Coasts officers recently headed to Gratton beach Galway to team up with Galway City Council, Claddagh National School and Galway Atlantaquarium to deliver a day of fun activities and TBYF talk/beach clean.
The event 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.
Love your beach is a popular festival held annually in Galway, primarily during May. It’s a 3-day event that offers a wide array of activities, including live music, dune talk by Kevin Lynch, performances from circus 250, and events for families and individuals. Clean Coasts officer Ollie O’Flaherty leads a TBYF-themed beach clean followed by a TBYF talk with the kids from Claddagh school on the importance of what you flush down your toilet and pour down your drain. It was a fun filled way to spread the message of TBYF and to demonstrate the importance of only flushing the 3 Ps down the toilet.
The team also discussed with the students and public about the Think Before You Pour campaign which looks at the issue of pouring fats, oils, and greases (FOGs) from cooking down the kitchen sink. Instead of flowing freely, FOGs 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 day Ollie O’ Flaherty from Clean Coasts said: “We are thankful to Galway City Council for inviting us to be part of the Love Your Beach week. We are had a fantastic day with an amazing day engaging with the students and public using our talk/ beach clean as well as the Circus 250 performances and our shell survey carried out by Garry at Galway Atlantaquarium. It’s a great opportunity to engage with the wider public here in Galway City to showcase the importance of the TBYF and TBYP campaigns and how it effects all our lives. 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.’’
Nuala Woods, Head of Wastewater Operations at Uisce Éireann added. “We hope that students and locals enjoyed hearing about the Think Before You Flush campaign during the Love Your Beach Week in Galway. Items like wipes, cotton wool, cotton buds, plasters, sanitary waste dental floss and even hair should never be flushed down the toilet because they can cause blockages in the wastewater network, pumping stations and wastewater treatment plants as well as pollution to our marine environment.”