Overview

By now, you probably know what NOT to flush to protect your home from sewer back-ups. But are you aware of alternatives that provide many of the same benefits as their do-not-flush counterparts?

Enter to win!

Utilities Kingston has assembled a prize pack of these products that won’t clog your pipes (when used as intended). Demonstrate you know what NOT to flush by completing our brief quiz and you’ll be entered to win one of two randomly-drawn prizes. (No purchase necessary.)

Find the quiz and complete contest rules. The contest is open until Oct. 31.

Know what NOT to flush

Wastewater treatment equipment and your home’s plumbing are designed for only the three Ps – Pee, Poop and (toilet) Paper – to be flushed. Items like fats, oils, greases, feminine hygiene products and wipes of any kind should never be flushed down the toilet or poured down the drain. Flushing these items causes equipment to fail, poses a health and safety risk to staff – and can clog your sewer lateral, putting your home at risk of sewage back-ups.

Protect Your Pipes

Here’s what’s included in the Protect Your Pipes prize pack:

(The products we’ve included in the prize pack are intended as examples of alternatives and not as an endorsement of a particular brand.)

• Toilet tissue mist adds moisture to toilet paper and can be used instead of personal wipes. Wipes clog pipes, and should never be flushed, even if the packaging says you can.
• A washable microfibre e-cloth, which can be used instead of disposable cleaning wipes.
• Reusable baby wipes that can be washed and dried.
• Menstrual cups or washable cloth menstrual pads, which are environmentally-friendly alternatives to feminine hygiene products. Never flush any feminine hygiene product or its packaging.
• A dish squeegee, kitchen compost bin, and compostable paper cup, to avoid the ‘fatberg’! Use these to keep cooking fats, oils and greases (FOG) out of the drain and put them into the Green Bin where they belong.
  • Food scraps, butter, cooking oil, soups and sauces are all types of FOG. When poured down the drain, they solidify and build-up inside plumbing pipes and can create a sewer back-up in your home.
  • Utilities Kingston, in partnership with the City of Kingston and Kingston Fire and Rescue will soon make free FOG cups available to residents – stay tuned for more information. 
• A hair trap for your shower and bathroom sink that can capture hair that otherwise clogs your plumbing and gets caught in lift-station pumps. Trap hair and then place it in the Green Bin instead. 

Other top clog offenders that should never be flushed include paper towels, rags, dental floss and hypodermic needles. To find out how to properly dispose of these items, use the City of Kingston’s Waste Sorting Look-up tool.

Learn how to protect your home and health by knowing what not to flush.