Many people already know what NOT to flush to protect their home from sewer back-ups – including paper towels, rags, dental floss and hypodermic needles – and now Utilities Kingston is holding a contest to find out if you’re aware of alternatives that provide many of the same benefits as those do-not-flush products.
Test your knowledge about these alternatives and you’ll be entered to win one of two randomly-drawn prize packs described to contain the following products:
- Toilet tissue mist adds moisture to toilet paper and can be used instead of personal wipes. Wipes clog pipes, and should never be flushed, even if the packaging says you can.
- A washable microfibre e-cloth, which can be used instead of disposable cleaning wipes.
- Reusable baby wipes that can be washed and dried.
- Menstrual cups or washable cloth menstrual pads, which are environmentally-friendly alternatives to feminine hygiene products. Never flush any feminine hygiene product or its packaging.
- A dish squeegee, kitchen compost bin, and compostable paper cup, to avoid the ‘fatberg’! Use these to keep cooking fats, oils and greases (FOG) out of the drain and put them into the Green Bin where they belong.
- Food scraps, butter, cooking oil, soups and sauces are all types of FOG. When poured down the drain, they solidify and build-up inside plumbing pipes and can create a sewer back-up in your home.
- Utilities Kingston, in partnership with the City of Kingston and Kingston Fire and Rescue will soon make free FOG cups available to residents – stay tuned for more information.
- A hair trap for your shower and bathroom sink that can capture hair that otherwise clogs your plumbing and gets caught in lift-station pumps. Trap hair and then place it in the Green Bin instead.
The contest is quiz is open until Oct. 31 and can be found at Utilities Kingston’s Know What To Flush page which also features complete contest rules and details about how you can protect your home and health by knowing what not to flush. Learn how to properly dispose of do-not-flush items by visiting the City of Kingston’s Waste Sorting Look-up tool .
Image: Alexas Fotos (cc)
