The St. Catharines Municipal Works department is already seeing a spike in non-flushable items in the sewer systems.
Officials with the city are reminding residents to only flush waste and toilet paper to avoid blockages and other service disruptions.
Municipal Works representatives say people are flushing disinfection wipes.
Acting Manager of Operations Mark Peat says, “Even so-called flushable wipes should not be sent down the toilet, there is limited oversight on that branding as flushable, and none of them break down properly, causing a host of potential problems not only for home plumbing but the City sewer system. Now is not the time anyone wants to be stuck at home without a working toilet.”
He warns the wipes don’t actually break down properly.
The list of non-flushables includes baby wipes, paper towel, tissue, floss, diapers, condoms, feminine hygiene products, kitty litter, and kitchen waste.