Wet wipes

[horizon]

I've heard of wet wipes but still don't really know what they are and what they are used for. My instinct tells me that they probably aren't A Good Thing so I've kept them off my radar.

However they seem to be hitting the news lately and somewhat confirming my instinct. A recent TV programme about "Fat Bergs" pointed out that what had been described on wet wipe packaging as flushable were in fact nothing of the sort. Stupidity, incredulity, and criminal deception were words that came to mind.

I am hoping that I can safely assume that no member of this forum goes near anything called a "wet wipe".

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -wet-wipes

NB Notice the use of "we" in the above article.

[reohn2]

You'd be wrong to assume no one on the forum uses them.
They're great for wiping down a sweaty face(òr indeed other parts of the anatomy),cleaning hands after roadside mechanical,etc,and they clean bar tape very well too,I carry a small hand y pack in the bag
Of course it goes without saying,or it at least should do,not to flush down the loo but dispose of them thoughtfully.

PS,I use about ten individual wipes a year on average

[Bonefishblues]

They are remarkable things, and seem to be able to remove just about anything from any surface. No idea what the active ingredients are

[mjr]

A washable hikers cloth and spray is better. IMO S'almost the only time to use single use wipes are antiseptic ones from the first aid kit.

[Cunobelin]

Selecting a single item from the “Fatberg” is devious

The biggest factor was cooking fat (90%).... I hope no-one on this forum cooks either using fats, or with products tat produce fat during cooking

[reohn2]

Selecting a single item from the “Fatberg” is devious

The biggest factor was cooking fat (90%).... I hope no-one on this forum cooks either using fats, or with products tat produce fat during cooking

Good point!

[Cyril Haearn]

Business opportunity, used fat can be recycled or burnt for energy

I am one of many who uses WetWipes
Got a new packet, apparently they may be flushed down the toilet, it says on the label

I am not stupid enough to risk that

[Cunobelin]

.... and Condoms

I hope no-one on the forum uses these

[661-Pete]

I'm puzzled here.

Just once, in the time we've been living here, we had to call out Dynorod (or if it wasn't them, a local - and cheaper - equivalent) to unblock our drain. This was because a pair of pants had got flushed down the loo (accidentally - and don't ask! ). The chap who came to do the dirty deed told us that the overwhelming majority of drain blockages he got called out to, involved cooking-fat - usually drained off the roast meat and thoughtlessly tipped straight down the sink. He strongly urged us to always drain off the fat into an empty yogurt-pot or similar, wait for it to cool and set, then bin it.

I think we were already obeying his advice. I don't recall if this happened before, or after, we stopped eating meat altogether. Nowadays the dilemma is with vegetable oil which won't set. Small amounts, such as unused salad dressing or after shallow-frying, don't matter. But large amounts, like on the few occasions we deep-fry something: what do we do with the leftover oil? My feeling is, pouring down the sink is a Bad Idea.

OK - on to the wet wipes/fatbergs issues. The media have been quoting things like "93% of fatbergs consist of wet wipes". Is that really true? Or do they mean, "93% of fatbergs contain wet wipes"? I was still under the impression that the bulk of the composition of a fatberg is - as the word suggests - fat.

Having said that, flushing any sort of wet wipe down the loo is a no-no. Just ask anyone who keeps a septic tank (as we do - in France). Getting your septic tank emptied more often than it needs to be, will eat into your pocket! If properly looked after, and receiving nothing except body wastes and the right sort of toilet paper, it should be virtually maintenance-free.

[Cyril Haearn]

+1 for septic tanks and autonomy
93% of leftover fat can go on the compost heap, surely

[661-Pete]

93% of leftover fat can go on the compost heap, surely

No - don't. It will damage the compost and possibly kill off the bacteria that turn other food waste into compost.

[Cunobelin]

There are also problems with the cushioned loo roll, bungs things up far more effectively than the old fashioned normal type

[Cunobelin]

I'm puzzled here.

OK - on to the wet wipes/fatbergs issues. The media have been quoting things like "93% of fatbergs consist of wet wipes". Is that really true? Or do they mean, "93% of fatbergs contain wet wipes"? I was still under the impression that the bulk of the composition of a fatberg is - as the word suggests - fat.

Note, my edit of the original post

They have deliberately confused Fatbergs and ALL blockages, mixing the two freely


From the Guardian:

The forensic analysis revealed that cooking fat is the biggest contributor to the crisis, making up nearly 90% of the sample. It also showed a higher concentration of prohibited gym supplements than street drugs such as cocaine and MDMA.

The study from Water UK, the trade body representing all of the main water and sewerage companies in the country, found that wipes made up about 93% of the material causing the sewer blockages.

The first is from a quote about 'Fatbergs", and the second on general sewer / toilet blockages


The Guardian has then conflated the two in the same sentence, it does not actually "state" that wet wipes constitute 93% of fatbergs, just implies the fact though they are on a roll when they also decide to imply that the fatbergs are far more numerous than they actually are. London has had 4, which suggests the total numbers will be in the hundreds, far short of the 300,000 they would like us to believe

Cities are growing used to reports of subterranean “fatbergs” – giant blobs of congealed grease and other waste that blocks sewers. A study by Water UK found wipes made up 93% of the 300,000 sewer blockages

Further down they again mix top the two by talking about "Fatbergs" and then quoting figures for all types of blockage, but to suit the articles agenda not only failing to point out this, but deliberately implying the two are the same.

Cities are growing used to reports of subterranean “fatbergs” – giant blobs of congealed grease and other waste that blocks sewers. A study by Water UK found wipes made up 93% of the 300,000 sewer blockages that it deals with each year. Belfast, Denver, Melbourne and Baltimore have all been affected. The fattest fatberg found so far however was in Whitechapel, where sewer workers in hazmat suits had to clear a blockage the size of 11 double-decker buses. When a chunk was later displayed in the Museum of London, one reviewer compared the exhibit to the portrait of Dorian Gray, suggesting the foul-smelling waxy matter was “a kind of collective self-portrait”.

As well as ugly, it is expensive. Blockages cost the UK about £100m every year, according to Water UK’s director of corporate affairs, Rae Stewart: “Water companies spend billions of pounds every year improving water and sewerage services in this country, but our sewers are just not designed to handle these new wipes which clog up the system. Sewer blockages end up costing the country about £100m every year so it’s clear that something needs to change.”

Really it is poor journalism mixing facts to suit the agenda of the author by using the current interest in fatbergs to make a point about wet wipes

[Cyril Haearn]

Now I start to understand what is meant by "alternative facts"
Some cleaning paper can absorb an awful lot of fat
What would be the fat content and the paper content (%) of a wet wipe that was full of fat?

Probably fatbergs are not new, I bet the sewers are rarely completely clear

[mjr]

Pour used cooking oil onto dried-out coffee grounds and put it in the council food bin collections. That stuff gets fed to digesters which can cope with it