The Think Before You Flush campaign visited Sneem in County Kerry to attend their annual summer festival and talk about all things toilets, beaches and sewage related litter. The aim of the day was to encourage people of all ages to cultivate responsible flushing behaviors and to pledge their commitment to the Think Before You Flush programme. 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 ever be flushed down the toilet. When items such as wipes are flushed, they can cause serious blockages in our waste water networks, causing sewage overflows and ultimately polluting our rivers, lakes, coastal waters and beaches.
The Think Before You Flush team were invited by Clean Coasts group Sneem Tidy Towns to contribute to the festival. Elaine Doyle, from Clean Coasts hosted a stand with a variety of resources, experiments and models to demonstrate the importance of only flushing the 3 P’s down the toilet. 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 thousands of blockages, including fatbergs, from the wastewater network every year. 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 event Elaine Doyle from Clean Coasts said: “It is always great to get out and meet people to talk about the 3ps and the responsibility we have to take care of our waterways, even from our own bathrooms. Sneem sits on the River Blackwater on the magestic Ring of Kerry so the local people have a strong connection with their local waterways. The Tidy Towns group do great work to keep the village clean and we were delighted to join them on the day.”