Top 10+ Things You Should Never Flush Down the Toilet, But People Keep Doing It

Wet Wipes Are Destroying Sewers Across the Globe

Think you can trust that "flushable" label on your wet wipes? Well, you're not alone – over a fifth (22%) of people admit to flushing wet wipes down the toilet despite findings that 88% of people in the UK are aware that flushing wet wipes can harm the environment.

Here's the shocking truth: even those wipes labeled as "flushable" are causing massive problems in our sewer systems. Wet wipes flushed down toilets contribute to more than 90% of sewer blockages in the UK and take many years to break down.

A Canadian study tested 101 single-use wipes for flushability, and guess what? All failed to fall apart or disperse safely in the water, revealing that including "flushable" on the label is a misleading marketing practice.

These wipes don't break down like toilet paper – they stick around, clump together, and create expensive nightmares for homeowners and cities alike.

Paper Towels Turn Into Toilet Paper's Evil Twin

Paper towels are probably the most common causes of clogged toilets in the past few months, likely driven by the lack of toilet paper in stores during the pandemic, but paper towels are designed to stay strong even when wet. While toilet paper dissolves almost instantly when it hits water, paper towels are engineered to be the exact opposite.

They're built to withstand scrubbing, wiping, and getting soaked without falling apart. Toilet paper passes strict standards dictating how quickly they need to break apart in water, while regular wipes and other hygiene products aren't subject to these standards.

When you flush paper towels, you're essentially sending pieces of cloth into your plumbing system. Think of it like trying to flush a washcloth – it might go down initially, but it's going to cause problems somewhere along the line.

Feminine Hygiene Products Create Underground Disasters

Feminine hygiene products like pads and tampons are designed to expand and absorb as much liquid as possible, so one of the last places you want to put them is down your toilet where they can get stuck partway down the pipe. The numbers are staggering: in the U.K., people flush more than 2.5 million tampons down the toilet a day, which is particularly bad news considering that most mainstream tampons and menstrual pads are partly or wholly made of plastic, with tampon applicators being also a big problem.

These products don't just disappear – they accumulate, combine with other waste, and become part of massive blockages called fatbergs. A starring player in fatbergs: tampons.

During beach cleanups in New Jersey, environmental advocates found 3,000 plastic tampon applicators washed up on shore in just one summer, proving these items eventually make their way into our waterways.

Cotton Swabs and Cotton Balls Are Tiny Troublemakers

Cotton swabs are notorious for getting stuck in the pipe leading from your toilet, creating a nice place for additional gunk to get caught, and forming the start of a nasty clog. You might think, "How could something so small cause problems?" But that's exactly the issue – their small size makes them perfect for getting lodged in pipes and creating anchor points for bigger clogs.

Cotton balls, just like feminine products that use cotton, should never be flushed because they're far too absorbent and can get stuck to your pipes and catch additional material going by, eventually leading to a clog. These innocent-looking bathroom staples are like tiny sponges that expand when wet and create the perfect foundation for massive blockages.

Think of them as the starter seeds for your next expensive plumber visit.

Condoms and Latex Products Turn Sewers Into Balloon Graveyards

Whether you need to dispose of a rubber glove, a condom, an old balloon, or anything else made of latex, you should never look to the toilet. Latex doesn't break down in water – it's designed to be waterproof and flexible, which means it maintains its shape and structure even after being flushed.

Wet wipes, condoms, feminine products, paper towels and all the other stuff that you flush down your toilet enters our sewer system and mixes with the grease that you have poured down your sink, creating "fatbergs" in our sewers. These rubber items often get stretched and tangled around pump equipment at treatment facilities, causing expensive machinery breakdowns.

When condoms make it through the entire system, they often wash up on beaches, creating environmental hazards and unsightly pollution that takes years to decompose naturally.

Facial Tissues Seem Harmless But Pack a Punch

While tissues are much lighter than other paper products, they still aren't designed to dissolve in water, which means they can bunch up and get stuck in your pipes or sewer system. Many people think facial tissues and toilet paper are basically the same thing, but they're engineered completely differently.

Facial tissues are made to be soft and strong when wet – perfect for blowing your nose, terrible for your plumbing. Unlike toilet paper that starts breaking down within minutes of hitting water, facial tissues can maintain their structure for much longer periods.

When multiple tissues get flushed and meet up in your pipes, they create clumps that act like nets, catching other debris and forming larger blockages.

Dental Floss Creates Underground Spider Webs

Dental floss might seem like a tiny, harmless string, but it's actually one of the most problematic items you can flush. She imagines the difference it might make if more people could see the items that make it to our wastewater treatment plants: tampons, pads, diapers, dental floss, clothes, and even plastic bags.

The problem with dental floss isn't just that it doesn't break down – it's that it acts like fishing line in your pipes. It wraps around other objects, creates tangles, and forms nets that catch additional debris.

Think of it as creating an underground spider web that traps everything else flowing through the system. Modern dental floss is often made with synthetic materials that can last for years in water systems, and when it combines with other flushed items, it becomes the binding agent that holds massive clogs together.

Cat Litter Turns Your Toilet Into a Cement Mixer

Some people think flushing cat litter is a convenient way to dispose of their pet's waste, but this creates serious problems that go beyond simple clogs. Most cat litters are made from clay that expands when wet – exactly the opposite of what you want in your plumbing system.

Even "flushable" cat litters can cause issues because they're designed to clump and absorb moisture. When cat litter hits your pipes, it doesn't just create blockages – it can actually harden like concrete, requiring professional removal.

Additionally, cat waste can contain parasites that aren't eliminated by standard water treatment processes, potentially contaminating water supplies. The combination of expanding clay and biological waste creates a perfect storm for both plumbing disasters and environmental contamination.

Cigarette Butts Are Floating Pollution Bombs

Cigarette butts might be small, but they're packed with chemicals and made from materials that don't break down in water systems. The filters are typically made from cellulose acetate, a type of plastic that can take 10-15 years to decompose.

When flushed, these butts often make it through treatment systems and end up in waterways, where they leach toxic chemicals including nicotine, tar, and heavy metals. New York City maintains 7,500 miles of sewers that convey 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater to 14 wastewater treatment plants every day, and wastewater undergoes an extensive treatment process.

However, small items like cigarette butts can slip through screening processes and contaminate the treated water that gets discharged back into rivers and oceans. Each cigarette butt can pollute up to 8 liters of water, making them one of the most environmentally damaging items people regularly flush.

Medications Create Chemical Cocktails in Our Water

Flushing old or unused medications might seem like a safe disposal method, but it creates serious environmental and health problems. Pharmaceutical compounds aren't completely removed by standard wastewater treatment processes, which means they end up in our rivers, lakes, and eventually our drinking water supplies.

Studies have found traces of everything from antibiotics to hormones in water systems across the country. These pharmaceutical cocktails can disrupt aquatic ecosystems, contribute to antibiotic resistance, and potentially affect human health through trace amounts in drinking water.

The problem is so widespread that many communities now offer special pharmaceutical disposal programs. Unlike other flushed items that cause physical blockages, medications create invisible contamination that's much harder to detect and remove from our water systems.

The True Cost of Our Flushing Habits

New York City spends approximately $18.8 million a year to degrease the sewers, deal with damage caused by sewer backups, and repair plant equipment that has been damaged by non-flushable items like wet wipes, and these costs increase water and sewer rates. According to an estimate by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), wipes result in an additional $441 million a year in operating costs for U.S.

clean water utilities. The famous London fatbergs have cost millions to remove, with some requiring weeks of manual labor using shovels and high-pressure water jets.

A 40-ton fatberg in London took three weeks to clear with eight people working nine hours a day. But the real cost isn't just financial – it's environmental.

When treatment systems fail due to blockages, raw sewage can overflow into rivers and oceans, creating massive pollution events that harm wildlife and contaminate water supplies for years. What would you have guessed was the most expensive item to remove from sewers?

Most people think it's the big stuff, but it's actually those innocent-looking "flushable" wipes that are costing us hundreds of millions every year.