In the United Kingdom
North East householders urged to look after sewers
by Michael Brown, The Journal
Aug 23 2011
HoUSEHOLDERS are being encouraged to play their part in helping to look after the region's sewers. The pipe network takes away the waste of 2.6 million people in the North East so it can be treated, before the cleaned water is safely returned to the environment.
Currently, water company Northumbrian Water manages 16,000km of sewers. But, from October 1 this year, around another 13,500km of drains, which were previously the responsibility of residents, will also fall under their control.
Ahead of the changes, which every customer will be notified about by letter, the firm is urging people to think twice about what they flush or tip down the sink.
A spokesman for Northumbrian Water, Alistair Baker, said sewers were a vital artery for a clean, healthy life and it’s in everyone’s interests to look after them.
“Blockages in sewers cause homes to flood and damage the environment, and North East bathroom habits are rubbish – literally,” he said.
“They are among the worst in the country for using the toilet as a rubbish bin, flushing items, especially sanitary-related products, which can end up on the region’s beaches.
“Disposable products such as tampons, sanitary towels, nappies, wet wipes, toilet roll tubes, cotton buds and condoms should be put in a bin and not flushed down the toilet.”
The water company spends hundreds of thousands of pounds a year screening debris out of the sewer network, and sends 9,000 tonnes of sewage-related rubbish to landfill every year from its 437 sewage treatment works.
So, as customers ultimately pay the costs, the company say it’s in everyone’s interest “to bag it and bin it”.
But it is not just bathroom waste that causes a problem – fats and grease also clog the water network’s vital arteries.
Every day, people and businesses pour hundreds of litres of cooking oil and roasting juices down the sink.
The fat cools, hardens and builds up on the walls of the sewer pipe, eventually blocking it.
However, on October 1 not all pipes will transfer. Householders, landlords and businesses will still remain responsible for private drains serving their property within its boundary, as well as gutters and down pipes.
The pipes that will transfer from private to water company ownership are those outside the boundary or those within the boundary which are shared by other properties and which connect into the existing public sewer, often located underneath the road outside.
The transfer will be automatic and customers do not need to take any action.
Read More http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2011/08/23/sewer-plea-as-rules-change-61634-29283393/#ixzz1W3aYxS9H
Showing posts with label pollution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pollution. Show all posts
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Tampon applicators common on beach
Found on the beach in Carlsbad, California
Do not flush anything but toilet paper and human waste down the toilet! Trash like this can end up in our oceans, rivers and lakes.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
'Don't flush it, bin it' call to help keep beaches clear of debris
DANGEROUS: Bathroom-related rubbish found on beaches can include cotton bud sticks, razor blades and even syringes
THROWAWAY attitudes can lead to South Devon's beaches being polluted with household waste.
The British public are putting far more down their toilets than they should be and the result is some beaches have unsavoury items like cotton buds, condoms, sanitary towels and tampon applicators, says the Marine Conservation Society in publishing a beachwatch survey.
In South Devon eight volunteers surveyed 32 metres of beach at Churston Cove and 17 covered 1,800 metres of Dawlish Warren national nature reserve.
Beachwatch officer Lauren Davis says the survey nationally reveals a shocking picture of what people do in the privacy of their own bathroom.
She said: "But sewerage networks and waste water treatment works are not specifically designed to remove these sorts of items and unfortunately more and more are ending up in our rivers and then on our beaches."
The conservation charity's call for items to be binned rather than flushed is backed by Torbay Council and South West Water.
A Torbay Council spokesman said: "We support any efforts to encourage people not to flush items down the toilet that can cause problems in sewerage networks and water treatment works.
"We go to great lengths to ensure that the Bay's beaches are clean and tidy, with our beach teams working hard to keep them looking their best.
"Torbay has some of the cleanest bathing waters in the country and is currently top of the league table, alongside Isle of Wight, with a record 14 Blue Flag and Quality Coast Awards which recognise beaches that are clean, attractive and well managed."
The council says all the main beaches are cleaned manually every day throughout the summer bathing season, and a rota of mechanical cleaning is gradually increased as the season progresses.
"The smaller beaches are regularly checked and cleaned as required. Not all the smaller beaches are the responsibility of Torbay council.
"It is now very rare that any bathroom-related debris is found on our beaches."
The situation greatly improved when South West Water modernised the sewerage system, which was already screened to remove unsavoury items.
South West Water said: "We spend around £1 million a year clearing blockages caused by people flushing everything from cotton buds and nappies to bandages, plasters, razor blades, needles and syringes.
"The sewerage network is not designed to cope with these items, and flushing them can cause flooding and blockages."
Although modern sewerage systems like Brokenbury in Torbay screen out these items they can still end up on beaches if a house has a wrong connection to a surface water drain.
It says combined sewer overflows which operate in heavy rain to protect property from sewage flooding, also discharge into the sea or watercourses but also have screens which would remove the majority of these items.
The spokesman said: "Plastic items, such as cotton bud sticks, take a long time to break down in the environment unless they are physically removed."
Nationally the beachwatch survey shows that last year average litter levels increased by six per cent, with a rise of more than 40 per cent in sewage related debris.
Only two regions – Northern Ireland and the North West – saw a decrease in the amount of bathroom waste found on beaches, while the largest increase was in the North East, with a 230 per cent increase followed by Wales with a 110 per cent rise.
DANGEROUS: Bathroom-related rubbish found on beaches can include cotton bud sticks, razor blades and even syringes
THROWAWAY attitudes can lead to South Devon's beaches being polluted with household waste.
The British public are putting far more down their toilets than they should be and the result is some beaches have unsavoury items like cotton buds, condoms, sanitary towels and tampon applicators, says the Marine Conservation Society in publishing a beachwatch survey.
In South Devon eight volunteers surveyed 32 metres of beach at Churston Cove and 17 covered 1,800 metres of Dawlish Warren national nature reserve.
Beachwatch officer Lauren Davis says the survey nationally reveals a shocking picture of what people do in the privacy of their own bathroom.
She said: "But sewerage networks and waste water treatment works are not specifically designed to remove these sorts of items and unfortunately more and more are ending up in our rivers and then on our beaches."
The conservation charity's call for items to be binned rather than flushed is backed by Torbay Council and South West Water.
A Torbay Council spokesman said: "We support any efforts to encourage people not to flush items down the toilet that can cause problems in sewerage networks and water treatment works.
"We go to great lengths to ensure that the Bay's beaches are clean and tidy, with our beach teams working hard to keep them looking their best.
"Torbay has some of the cleanest bathing waters in the country and is currently top of the league table, alongside Isle of Wight, with a record 14 Blue Flag and Quality Coast Awards which recognise beaches that are clean, attractive and well managed."
The council says all the main beaches are cleaned manually every day throughout the summer bathing season, and a rota of mechanical cleaning is gradually increased as the season progresses.
"The smaller beaches are regularly checked and cleaned as required. Not all the smaller beaches are the responsibility of Torbay council.
"It is now very rare that any bathroom-related debris is found on our beaches."
The situation greatly improved when South West Water modernised the sewerage system, which was already screened to remove unsavoury items.
South West Water said: "We spend around £1 million a year clearing blockages caused by people flushing everything from cotton buds and nappies to bandages, plasters, razor blades, needles and syringes.
"The sewerage network is not designed to cope with these items, and flushing them can cause flooding and blockages."
Although modern sewerage systems like Brokenbury in Torbay screen out these items they can still end up on beaches if a house has a wrong connection to a surface water drain.
It says combined sewer overflows which operate in heavy rain to protect property from sewage flooding, also discharge into the sea or watercourses but also have screens which would remove the majority of these items.
The spokesman said: "Plastic items, such as cotton bud sticks, take a long time to break down in the environment unless they are physically removed."
Nationally the beachwatch survey shows that last year average litter levels increased by six per cent, with a rise of more than 40 per cent in sewage related debris.
Only two regions – Northern Ireland and the North West – saw a decrease in the amount of bathroom waste found on beaches, while the largest increase was in the North East, with a 230 per cent increase followed by Wales with a 110 per cent rise.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Huge rise in bathroom rubbish on UK beachesMarine Conservation Society urges public not to use toilet as a bin, after cotton buds and condoms make ret
The amount of bathroom rubbish spread over Britain's shoreline has risen by an average of 40% in the past year, a survey has found.
Cotton buds, condoms, sanitary towels and tampon applicators were among the items recovered at the Marine Conservation Society's Beachwatch Big Weekend last September. Overall there was a 6% increase in average litter levels on Britain's beaches compared with a similar survey in 2010.
Marine Conservation Society beachwatch officer, Lauren Davis, urged people to stop using their toilet as a "wet bin". She said: "[Bathroom rubbish] is being flushed away with an 'out of sight, out of mind' perception. But sewerage networks and waste water treatment works are not designed to remove these sort of items and, unfortunately, more and more are ending up in our rivers and beaches."
Almost 5,000 volunteers cleaned 376 beaches across the UK for the Big Weekend, covering a total of 167km. Over 330,000 items of litter were collected; 7% of it was bathroom waste, which included almost 16,000 cotton buds.
Only the north-west of the UK and Northern Ireland saw a decrease in the amount of bathroom rubbish found on beaches compared with the previous year. The largest increases were in the north-east, where levels tripled, and Wales, where they doubled.
UK water companies backed the Marine Conservation Society's push for people to stop flushing rubbish. Edmund Bramley, Yorkshire Water's environmental regulation manager, said: "We support the Marine Conservation Society's call for people to dispose of bathroom waste responsibly, by placing it in the bin, rather than flushing it down the toilet. By flushing things like baby wipes, cotton buds or nappies down toilets, people can end up causing damage both to their homes and the environment."
Hugo Tagholm, director of the clean water campaign Surfers Against Sewage, said: "We of course see this first-hand on lots of beaches around the UK, and it's unfortunately no huge surprise to us. It's worrying to see the continuing trend of increasing litter on our coastline, and it's something we're actively tackling with our nationwide supporter and membership base."
Printable versionSend to a friendShareClipContact us larger | smaller EnvironmentPollution · Waste · Coastlines · Marine life UK newsMore news
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England's blue flag beaches 2009
8 Apr 2009
Marine Litter: 'Plastic is the main problem, it take hundreds of years to degrade'
8 Apr 2009
British beach litter levels highest on record
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About this articleClose Huge rise in bathroom rubbish on UK beachesThis article was published on guardian.co.uk at 07.00 BST on Thursday 21 April 2011. It was last modified at 07.00 BST on Thursday 21 April 2011. It was first published at 12.06 BST on Wednesday 20 April 2011.
Cotton buds, condoms, sanitary towels and tampon applicators were among the items recovered at the Marine Conservation Society's Beachwatch Big Weekend last September. Overall there was a 6% increase in average litter levels on Britain's beaches compared with a similar survey in 2010.
Marine Conservation Society beachwatch officer, Lauren Davis, urged people to stop using their toilet as a "wet bin". She said: "[Bathroom rubbish] is being flushed away with an 'out of sight, out of mind' perception. But sewerage networks and waste water treatment works are not designed to remove these sort of items and, unfortunately, more and more are ending up in our rivers and beaches."
Almost 5,000 volunteers cleaned 376 beaches across the UK for the Big Weekend, covering a total of 167km. Over 330,000 items of litter were collected; 7% of it was bathroom waste, which included almost 16,000 cotton buds.
Only the north-west of the UK and Northern Ireland saw a decrease in the amount of bathroom rubbish found on beaches compared with the previous year. The largest increases were in the north-east, where levels tripled, and Wales, where they doubled.
UK water companies backed the Marine Conservation Society's push for people to stop flushing rubbish. Edmund Bramley, Yorkshire Water's environmental regulation manager, said: "We support the Marine Conservation Society's call for people to dispose of bathroom waste responsibly, by placing it in the bin, rather than flushing it down the toilet. By flushing things like baby wipes, cotton buds or nappies down toilets, people can end up causing damage both to their homes and the environment."
Hugo Tagholm, director of the clean water campaign Surfers Against Sewage, said: "We of course see this first-hand on lots of beaches around the UK, and it's unfortunately no huge surprise to us. It's worrying to see the continuing trend of increasing litter on our coastline, and it's something we're actively tackling with our nationwide supporter and membership base."
Printable versionSend to a friendShareClipContact us larger | smaller EnvironmentPollution · Waste · Coastlines · Marine life UK newsMore news
See also
10 Apr 2011
NHS chiefs ration healthcare to meet cuts target
21 Apr 2011
Enjoy the great outdoors with Penguin Great Food and Harvey Nichols
8 Apr 2011
Cycle helmets are a personal choice, so get off the tutting bandwagon
21 Apr 2011
Data reveals extent of Cardiff's shoplifting problem
7 May 2009
Drop in England's 'blue flag' beaches
7 May 2009
England's blue flag beaches 2009
8 Apr 2009
Marine Litter: 'Plastic is the main problem, it take hundreds of years to degrade'
8 Apr 2009
British beach litter levels highest on record
Printable versionSend to a friendShareClipContact usArticle history
On EnvironmentMost viewed Zeitgeist Latest Last 24 hours
1. Fossil fuel firms use 'biased' study in massive gas lobbying push 2. BP sues owner of Deepwater Horizon rig for $40bn damages 3. Apple named 'least green' tech company 4. Shale gas: is it as green as the oil companies say? 5. 'Gasland changed everything' – fracking firm battles to woo English villagers More most viewed Last 24 hours
BP sues owner of Deepwater Horizon rig for $40bn damagesApple named 'least green' tech companyFossil fuel firms use 'biased' study in massive gas lobbying pushChina takes step towards tapping shale gas potential with first wellShale gas: is it as green as the oil companies say?More zeitgeist What is Zeitgeist? Zeitgeist is an experiment in showing trending news, topics and articles from the Guardian. Find out more in our blog post.
Last 24 hours
1. Natural gas drilling is at a crucial turning point 2. Unsure about nuclear power? Here's the five questions you must answer to decide 3. China takes step towards tapping shale gas potential with first well 4. Apple named 'least green' tech company 5. BP sues owner of Deepwater Horizon rig for $40bn damages All today's stories Bestsellers from the Guardian shop The Tony Hancock Collection
All 37 surviving episodes of Hancock's Half Hour on 8 DVDs.
From: £17.99
Visit the Guardian reader offers shopSee all offers and services from the GuardianEnvironment network on TwitterThe Guardian Environment Network brings together the world's best websites focusing on green topics
the_ecologist: Good piece from @guardianeco Fish worth £4m seized in EU crackdown on illegal fishing http://bit.ly/hNXrGf #environmentnetwork
about 1 day, 1 hour ago worldresources: Reading @BusinessGreen - @Google piles another $100m into #renewables with #wind farm mega-deal http://bit.ly/hnF8JN #environmentnetwork
about 1 day, 21 hours ago OurWorld20: Reading @grist: Germans pay extra for clean energy—is it worth it? http://bit.ly/f9vhe1 #environmentnetwork
about 2 days, 11 hours ago More recommended tweets from the Guardian Environment NetworkLatest news on guardian.co.ukLast updated less than one minute ago
NewsThousands flee heavy fighting in western Libya
Section classified This week's bestsellers 1. Here on Earth by Tim Flannery £14.99
2. Cloudspotter's Guide by Gavin Pretor-Pinney £8.99
3. Cloud Collector's Handbook by Gavin Pretor-Pinney £10.00
4. Wise Words & Country Ways Weather Lore by Ruth Binnie £9.99
5. Weather Forecasting by Robin Page £6.99
Search the Guardian bookshop
Search Sponsored feature
Find the latest jobs in your sector:
Arts & heritageCharitiesEducationEnvironmentGovernmentGraduateHealthMarketing & PRMediaSalesSenior executiveSocial careBrowse all jobs
Conference ProducerSouth Croydon | £25k-£30k depending on experience
FAVERSHAM HOUSE GROUP LTD
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12 Jan 2010
Three-mile long island off the coast of Devon is England's first in a planned national network of protected marine zones
29 Jul 2009
Poisonous Portuguese man o' war washed up on Cornish coast
15 Apr 2009
Dominant Wave Theory: The art of beach rubbish
23 Oct 2009
Australian oil spill 'contaminating one of world's richest marine wildernesses'
8 Apr 2009
Beach rubbish has doubled in 15 years, survey finds
Blighted beaches: Britain's shores are drowning in litter
26 Mar 2010
Beach litter figures down overall, but quantity of plastic found on shorelines grows to unprecedented levels
Hot topics Climate change news Climate change facts Green news roundup Green living Renewable heat incentive
License/buy our content | Privacy policy | Terms & conditions | Advertising guide | Accessibility | A-Z index | Inside guardian.co.uk blog | About guardian.co.uk | Join our dating site today
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About this articleClose Huge rise in bathroom rubbish on UK beachesThis article was published on guardian.co.uk at 07.00 BST on Thursday 21 April 2011. It was last modified at 07.00 BST on Thursday 21 April 2011. It was first published at 12.06 BST on Wednesday 20 April 2011.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Helpers find gross and weird trash at beach cleanup
By LAYLAN CONNELLY
Piles and piles of debris that came gushing down the San Gabriel River during the past few days were picked up by about 300 volunteers in Seal Beach Monday morning. The "After the Storm" cleanup was organized by Save Our Beach.
There were the usual suspects, like the Styrofoam, plastic bottles and tennis balls.
Then there were the strange, bizarre and simply gross – a couch, a black bra, and a blue plastic tampon applicator.
Piles and piles of debris that came gushing down the San Gabriel River during the past few days were picked up by about 300 volunteers in Seal Beach Monday morning. The "After the Storm" cleanup was organized by Save Our Beach.
There were the usual suspects, like the Styrofoam, plastic bottles and tennis balls.
Then there were the strange, bizarre and simply gross – a couch, a black bra, and a blue plastic tampon applicator.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Can you flush a tampon?
Reprinted from Health002.com
Can tampons be flushed down the toilet?
A: TAMPONS SHOULD NEVER BE FLUSHED DOWN THE TOILET.Tampons are absorbent wads of material that expand both widthways and lengthways when they absorb fluids, this means they can easily plug up toilets and pipes within the building you are flushing them. There are approximately 2.5 million tampons flushed in the UK alone (not sure on US statistics, but guesses are they are a lot higher), these all contribute to a huge problem for local water authorities as their pipes get blocked and damaged by anything other than human waste and toilet paper being flushed – it costs water authorities approximately $25 billion per year to sort this out, that could be put to better use. Even the most advanced water treatment plants will still allow small debris through the system, this ends up in our oceans and on our beaches, per kilometre of beach you are looking at 14 tampons – so when you go walking along a beach remember when you see a used tampon it is likely to be one that someone carelessly flushed. Commercial tampon manufacturers claim their tampons are flushable, common sense says otherwise, also remember commercial tampons are full of chemicals so that just adds to chemical pollution as well as waste pollution. They say they are flushable because they like to emphasis the convenience of their products, although there are more convenient options that don't require as much changing or disposal such as menstrual cups. There are no laws to stop tampon manufacturers telling people this.Tampons should always be wrapped up in toilet paper or put into sanitary bags, this is what these things are made for, also why they have tampon and pad bins in women's toilets. You should be doing the same at home, if you don't have a bin with a lid already in your bathroom then buy or ask for one.
http://www.health002.com/Home/can-you-flush-a-tampon-down-the-toliet.html
Can tampons be flushed down the toilet?
A: TAMPONS SHOULD NEVER BE FLUSHED DOWN THE TOILET.Tampons are absorbent wads of material that expand both widthways and lengthways when they absorb fluids, this means they can easily plug up toilets and pipes within the building you are flushing them. There are approximately 2.5 million tampons flushed in the UK alone (not sure on US statistics, but guesses are they are a lot higher), these all contribute to a huge problem for local water authorities as their pipes get blocked and damaged by anything other than human waste and toilet paper being flushed – it costs water authorities approximately $25 billion per year to sort this out, that could be put to better use. Even the most advanced water treatment plants will still allow small debris through the system, this ends up in our oceans and on our beaches, per kilometre of beach you are looking at 14 tampons – so when you go walking along a beach remember when you see a used tampon it is likely to be one that someone carelessly flushed. Commercial tampon manufacturers claim their tampons are flushable, common sense says otherwise, also remember commercial tampons are full of chemicals so that just adds to chemical pollution as well as waste pollution. They say they are flushable because they like to emphasis the convenience of their products, although there are more convenient options that don't require as much changing or disposal such as menstrual cups. There are no laws to stop tampon manufacturers telling people this.Tampons should always be wrapped up in toilet paper or put into sanitary bags, this is what these things are made for, also why they have tampon and pad bins in women's toilets. You should be doing the same at home, if you don't have a bin with a lid already in your bathroom then buy or ask for one.
http://www.health002.com/Home/can-you-flush-a-tampon-down-the-toliet.html
Saturday, January 16, 2010
City of Houston...gets the word out!
Blocked Plumbing / Sewer Overflow
Most household plumbing lines are small, and connect directly to pipes that are only slightly larger. FOG and foreign materials can easily block the sewage flow. A blocked sewer can be a worse problem than just inconvenient and unpleasant. A blocked sewer can cause an overflow that sends pollution to our bayous and Galveston Bay.
Common enemies to our sewer system:
Cooking grease & oil
Meat fats
Shortening, butter & margarine
Coffee grounds and filters
Paper towels
Baby diapers
Feminine hygiene products
Hair
Chewing gum
Plastics
Most household plumbing lines are small, and connect directly to pipes that are only slightly larger. FOG and foreign materials can easily block the sewage flow. A blocked sewer can be a worse problem than just inconvenient and unpleasant. A blocked sewer can cause an overflow that sends pollution to our bayous and Galveston Bay.
Common enemies to our sewer system:
Cooking grease & oil
Meat fats
Shortening, butter & margarine
Coffee grounds and filters
Paper towels
Baby diapers
Feminine hygiene products
Hair
Chewing gum
Plastics
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