Stop Flushing Butt Wipes, They’re Clogging Michigan Sewers

Nobody wants to sit down to discuss butt wipes but here we are.

Apparently, the number of butt wipes that are being flushed down Michigan toilets is really becoming a big problem for sewer systems. These costly problems are especially bad in Macomb and Oakland County.

Macomb County’s Public Works Commissioner is trying to educate the public about the problem and what it's doing to Michigan's sewer system.

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According to Michigan Radio, The wipes are a particular problem for the machinery behind the underground sewer system, clogging up and twisting around motors that power the pumps that keep things moving.

Candice Miller, Macomb County’s Public Works Commissioner:

They sort of get together and they almost act like a rope. They're choking pumps, sanitary sewer pumps. And they’re causing huge backups.

She also said that Some brands of wet wipes, which are used for everything from wiping babies’ bottoms to removing makeup to quick house cleaning, are labeled “flushable.” Technically, they're not flushable because they're not biodegradable. They just don't break down the same way that toilet paper does.

It's not only a Michigan problem, this seems to be an issue all over the World. The UK is actually considering a ban on wipes because they've overrun their sewer system. The wipes are in part just one of the issues causing "fatbergs" in the sewer. Yes, they're just as disgusting as they sound.

At the end of the day, simply try to stop using wipes to clean your butt. Your dirty butt is no longer just your problem.