LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Whether you like to think about it or not, taking a trip to the bathroom is part of the daily routine. But what you're flushing is causing problems in Louisville.
The list includes paper towels, hair, underwear and even pet goldfish. They all wreak havoc and waste manpower, hours and money.
So the Metropolitan Sewer District is trying to spread the word about what does and does not belong in the toilet.
Monday, March 11, is World Plumbing Day, and MSD wants to bring awareness to the big problems that result from people flushing the wrong things down the toilet. Pumps push what you've flushed to five treatment centers. Along the way, serious problems arise.
"It stops up pumps, check valves, and it clogs piping," said MSD Collections Supervisor Claude Rottet. "It doesn't break down."
The biggest offenders are floss and flushable wipes.
"The rising popularity of flushable wipes is turning into a full-time job for quite a few of our employees," Lauder said.
"Dental floss will wrap around the shaft of a pump, and if it gets tight enough, it will cut the metal shaft," added Duane Wright, process supervisor at the Cedar Creek Waste Water Treatment Facility.
When you're making that all important decision, to flush or not to flush, keep MSD's motto in mind.
"It would greatly help us, and it would greatly help you, if you just stick to the three Ps. as we call them," Lauder said.
"Pee, poo, and paper: That's all that belongs in the sewer," Rottet added.
Everything else goes in the trash. They say when you've gotta go, you've gotta go, but not everything has to go down the toilet.
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