Flushable wipes are costing Lake Havasu City ratepayers more in maintenance dollars.  Despite what the label says, “flushable” wipes are not safe to flush and are causing harm to our sewer systems.

Many consumers love the convenience of flushable wipes, which include baby wipes, household cleaning wipes, facial wipes, and healthcare wipes.  However, these flushable wipes are manufactured with degradable plastic fibers that clog pumps, cause sewage back-ups, and get stuck in the equipment at the City’s wastewater plants and lift stations.  

This isn’t just a problem in our community.  Nationwide, flushable wipes are costing the public billions of dollars each year.  On marketing materials, the term “flushable” is not regulated and consumers are unknowingly causing harm to the City’s infrastructure and increasing maintenance costs for residents. 

The only paper product that should be flushed is toilet paper.  It is the only product designed to breakdown as it travels through the wastewater treatment systems.  Wipes and other similar products should be disposed of in the trash.

For more information, please contact Ed Donahue, Lake Havasu City Wastewater Supervisor at (928) 855-3999. 

Photos Attached: Mass pulled from LHC’s Sweetwater Lift Station