Corporations have been lying to us  in order to make more money, and it’s been costing you tax money on top of it, but most of the people who fall for this particular scheme are the most reluctant to change their ways. 

With the upcoming election, everyone’s talking about ways to save taxpayer money. I wanted to share with you all one way we can all help to bring down local taxpayers’ expenses, regardless of who is on the ballot November 8. 

During a Big Lake City Council meeting earlier this month, water/wastewater superintendent Dan Childs shared some photos and noted that his team recently cleared out a large blockage of “flushable” wipes from the city’s sewer system. The council members were intrigued, as was I.

I sat down with Dan Childs and Chris Lisson (from Becker) to talk about how so-called flushable wipes are something that should never be flushed down the toilet. 

The sewer systems in both Big Lake and Becker operate using gravity to direct the flow of wastewater. In certain areas, however, the wastewater needs to be lifted up again so it can continue to flow downward. These areas are called lift stations, and this is where the issues happen the most. If the wastewater contains anything that can’t be broken down, it clogs together and causes the lift station to slow greatly or to stop functioning altogether. If not dealt with immediately, this can also make the whole system stop working, making it so home and business owners cannot use their toilets and sinks (not ideal!).

One of the main culprits of these clogs is “flushable” wipes. That’s right: they are NOT flushable, regardless of what the packaging says. These will clog our public sewer systems or can even cause blockage in a homeowner’s system. 

The packaging straight up lies to people. Why? Money talks, that’s why. Even though there have been attempts to ban this kind of false advertising on packages of wipes, lobbyists have always gotten the better deal. It’s estimated that these “flushable” wipes are costing the United States over $400 million each year, according to the National Association of Clean Water Agencies in 2020. Locally? Dan Childs noted that the cost to Big Lake taxpayers could be approximately $2,000 per month. 

Wastewater employees in Becker and Big Lake regularly clean out the problem areas in the sewer system to remove a lot of blockage. Childs noted that the city fills up 10 garbage cans full of garbage recovered from the system each month. Chris Lisson of Becker said that garbage going through the system gets twisted around on itself, forming ropes. He one time helped to remove a twisted rope of garbage that weighed more than 150 pounds. Talk about a gross job!

So, what can and can’t be flushed down a toilet or rinsed down the sink? Here’s a fun experiment for the kids (and adults too!). Find two water bottles or jars with tightly-sealing lids and fill them halfway with water. In one jar, put a few sheets of toilet paper. In the other jar, put in a couple of sheets of “flushable” wipes, Kleenex, paper towels, or anything else a person might be tempted to use to clean up. Screw the lid on tightly, and shake each bottle vigorously for 30 seconds. The toilet paper will break down into tiny pieces as it’s jostled around in the bottle. Just like it breaks down when a toilet is flushed, becoming a bunch of tiny pieces that the wastewater systems can handle perfectly fine. The “flushable” wipes, on the other hand, will remain intact no matter how hard you shake. 

Lisson said that even one household flushing a large amount of garbage down the toilet could make a noticeable difference in the amount of time and money it takes to keep the system working. He noted, for example, an incident where one person was flushing cigarette butts down the toilet. These caused tons of problems. The wastewater department was able to determine the approximate area where these originated from, and so sent out a letter to the homeowners in the area. Fortunately, the number of butts flushed lessened significantly (although some are still flushed).

Lisson said it’s perfectly fine to use wipes so long as they are disposed of properly. Wipes should go into a garbage can, not into the toilet. The same goes for any garbage. 

Another problem is people using the kitchen sink to drain cooking oils. Vegetable oil used for frying, fat rendered from browned meats, and other kitchen greases should be allowed to cool and disposed of in the garbage can. It’s common knowledge that oils/fats and water don’t mix. All of that grease instead sticks together and forms a “fat berg,” a big clump of accumulated fats that one of your local civil servants will have the honor of cleaning out for you. 

The only things people should flush or wash down the drain are human waste, toilet paper, and soaps/sanitary products that are designed to be washed into the sewer system. Everything else should go in the garbage can. 

So, when you’re considering who to vote for this November, and you’re thinking about who will save you money in taxes, vote on yourself to lower taxes by keeping garbage out of our collectively-owned sewer systems. Your tax statement will thank you!