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.
Nature Calls
What happens when you flush wipes down the loo?
What happens if you pour fats, oil or grease down the sink?
Most wipes contain plastic: toilet wipes, baby wipes, make-up wipes, cleaning wipes. So, they never really break down.
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 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.
Please bin the wipes and join the wave.
wipes are flushed down the toilet in the UK every day
sewer blockages occur every year in Scotland
Just add water
If many wipes contain plastic, what are the alternatives?
Read about what reusable wipes are on the market.
1 out of 4
people say they flush wipes
Clearing sewer blockages costs Scotland £19,000 per day
Follow the 3Ps rule
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.
Re-use or bin leftover fat, oil and grease
It may seem like fats, oils 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”.
Find out more
Plastic can take up to 500 years to break down
Supporting the campaign
We are delighted to have the support of the following like-minded organisations, who recognise the importance of this campaign.
Read moreKeep 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.
Watch our advert
In our latest campaign, we’re calling for a ban on wipes made with plastic, to help protect our natural environment.
Find out more