Smart Gardening
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Nature Calls
Our climate is changing. In the future, we can expect to see more variable and extreme weather patterns than in the past.
Group 8
Climate change is causing extreme weather.
Sewers, choked by wipes, are overwhelmed by a deluge of storm water. Filthy water and revolting wet wipes are then forced back out of the waste water system. That’s bad news for you, your neighbours and nature. Wipes spoil riverside walks and litter our beaches. They harm fish and birds, leaking microplastics into their habitats. Ultimately, they’re messing with Scotland’s precious natural landscape.
So, when nature calls, there’s a world to save.
7.5M
wipes are flushed down
the toilet in the UK
everyday
36,000
sewer blockages occur every year in Scotland
500
The time it takes in years for many plastics to break down in nature
£23,000
spent clearing sewer
blockages across scotland
per day.
How we can make a difference
Here’s an easy-to-remember rule of thumb. Only flush the 3Ps: (toilet) paper, pee and poo.
On average, Scotland suffers 100 sewer blockages every day. 80 of those blockages are caused by items that weren’t meant to be flushed down the loo. As well as being harmful to nature, clearing these blockages creates energy and more harmful CO2 is released into the atmosphere.
So, what are those non-flushable items? Almost all of them are wipes. This means that simply following the 3Ps rule can actually make a huge difference.
Often you can reuse the oil you have cooked with, simply pour it into a jar and up-cycle it for next time.
It may seem like fats, oil and greases (FOG) go down the kitchen drain with ease. But as they cool, they begin to thicken.
And when fats combine with other materials in the sewer system, they create blockages and nasty fatbergs. FOG make clogs, leading to flooding in your neighbourhood.
If you can’t reuse it, leave it to cool in a container, then scrape it into your food waste recycling or, if it’s a lot, put it in the bin.
If you don’t have a container, here’s a handy guide to making your own “gunk pot”.
fls-photo-region_South-_Glentress_September2018-0174
Plastic in wipes: Time for a ban
Many wet wipes contain plastic so never really breakdown.
Instead they block sewage pipes by clumping together with discarded fats, oil and grease. Climate change is causing extreme weather. Sewers, choked by wipes, are overwhelmed by a deluge of storm water. Filthy water and revolting wet wipes are forced back out of the waste water system.
Join the thousands of people across Scotland who have signed up to our ban. We’re calling for a ban on wipes made with plastic to protect nature, protect communities and protect the planet.
Whale
Keep the coast clear
Watch our video and see how wipes made from plastic can end up in our rivers and oceans, and what we can all do to prevent it.
Bin the wipes.
Bin the wipes
Bin the wipes
If you need to use wipes, just remember to throw them in the bin, and not the toilet.
Read our guide to bathroom bins.
Read moreJUST ADD WATER
JUST ADD WATER
If many wipes contain plastic, what are the alternatives?
Read about what reusable wipes are on the market.
Find out more