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Oct 17, 2024

Call them expensive, troublesome and a pain in the backside; but you can no longer call these wipes ‘flushable’ in Michigan

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July 10, 2024

So-called “flushable” wipes really aren’t flushable. In fact, they are a constant headache for wastewater treatment plant operators and significant expense for ratepayers. They clog screens and pumps used in treatment plant facilities, requiring constant maintenance and costly cleaning expenses.

Wipes mucking up the works at the Great Lakes Water Authority’s Water Resource Recovery Facility. Courtesy of Great Lakes Water Authority.

Thanks to a newly-passed state law, manufacturers are no longer allowed to market the wipes in Michigan as “flushable.” In fact, they are required to include the words “Do Not Flush” and a symbol dissuading people from sending the sturdy fabrics to sewage treatment plants.

“These wipes are wreaking havoc on critical underground infrastructure,” said Macomb County Public Works Director Candice Miller, who has campaigned for years against the pump clogging cloths. In 2018 a 100-foot long “fatberg” combination of fats, oils, grease and solids including flushable wipes clogged a Macomb County sewer, requiring a $100,000 cleanup. Miller said she welcomes the new law, which will help reduce chances of fatberg reappearance. “I commend the Legislature and Gov. Whitmer for establishing labeling standards on disposable wipes packaging. This law has to the potential to save millions of dollars that is currently spent to repair the damage these wipes are having on underground systems everywhere.”

In Oakland County alone workers responded to 474 instanced of clogged machinery at local system pump stations in the past six years due to wipes fouling the pumps. The work cost taxpayers an estimated $134,000 according to the Water Resources Commissioner’s office.

The problem isn’t just at municipal treatment plants. Michigan’s nearly 1.5 million septic systems are also at risk from the wipes, which can clog pipes, and do not break down in the septic tank – requiring more frequent cleanouts.

“More honest labeling on these products should help people understand the issues they create for our wastewater plant operators and septic system users,” said Phil Argiroff, director of EGLE’s WRD. “They aren’t, and never were, truly flushable. We’re glad to see this being addressed.”

EGLE announces grants that will help build out enough utility-scale solar to power 700,000 Michigan households

This project showcases EGLE’s commitment to long-term investments in water infrastructure and the partnerships that make them possible.

The goal is to create a list of project ideas generated by community members and community groups that can serve as a resource for future funding opportunities.

EGLE grants have helped rural and underserved communities in Michigan host e-waste collection events.

The grant application period for schools and childcare center is open through Oct. 18.

The CELICA partnership is pointing the way for similar efforts to support low-income communities around the U.S. and abroad.

The grants aim to advance the research, development, or demonstration of projects to create innovative and practical approaches to increase the reuse and recycling of batteries and other critical minerals through investments in Michigan’s universities and colleges. Today’s awards will spur innovation and strengthen Michigan’s critical mineral supply chain while protecting our natural resources and reliance on the extraction of new materials.

Michigan has selected 25 community-based organizations to join the state’s first Michigan (MI) Justice40 Accelerator, a 12-month program designed to build capacity and provide funding, training, and technical support to organizations serving under-resourced and underserved communities statewide. The year-long program will help meet the goals of the MI Healthy Climate Plan while addressing historical inequities.

This autumn, don’t just think about composting your yard waste -- make it happen!

With aging infrastructure, emerging contaminants and changing environmental conditions, the responsibility to protect water resources continues to grow.

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