What Flushing Animal Waste Down the Toilet Should be Harmful
What Flushing Animal Waste Down the Toilet Should be Harmful
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What are your beliefs on Can You Flush Dog and Cat Poo Down the Toilet??
When it pertains to throwing away waste, particularly animal waste, many individuals commonly resort to the hassle-free choice of flushing it down the bathroom. Nevertheless, this seemingly simple solution can have major effects for the setting and public health. In this short article, we'll check out why flushing pet waste down the commode is a bad concept and offer alternate methods for correct disposal.
Introduction
Correct waste disposal is vital for maintaining environmental sustainability and public health. While it may appear safe to flush animal waste down the bathroom, it can lead to various problems, both for the atmosphere and human wellness.
Risks of flushing animal waste
Environmental effect
Purging animal waste presents harmful germs and pathogens right into waterways, which can negatively influence aquatic communities. These microorganisms can infect water sources and harm marine life, interfering with delicate communities.
Public health issues
Animal waste includes hazardous germs such as E. coli and Salmonella, which can position serious health and wellness dangers to human beings. Flushing pet waste down the toilet can contaminate water materials, causing the spread of diseases and infections.
Alternatives to flushing
Instead of flushing pet waste down the bathroom, there are numerous alternative disposal techniques that are a lot more eco-friendly and hygienic.
Composting
Composting pet waste is an environmentally friendly method to throw away it. By composting, raw material is broken down into nutrient-rich soil, which can be used to feed gardens and plants.
Garbage dump disposal
Taking care of animal waste in a landfill is one more alternative. While not as environmentally friendly as composting, it is a more secure alternative to flushing, as it avoids the contamination of water sources.
Pet waste disposal systems
There are specific animal garbage disposal systems readily available that safely and hygienically dispose of pet waste. These systems typically use enzymes to break down waste and get rid of smells.
Steps to correct pet garbage disposal
To make certain proper disposal of pet waste, adhere to these actions:
Scooping and bagging waste
Consistently scoop and bag pet waste utilizing eco-friendly bags. This protects against waste from polluting the atmosphere.
Making use of assigned waste bins
Dispose of bagged pet waste in designated waste containers, such as compost bins or land fill bins. Avoid flushing it down the bathroom at all prices.
Cleaning litter boxes and pet dog areas regularly
Regularly tidy litter boxes and animal areas to avoid the build-up of waste and germs. Use pet-safe cleansing items to preserve health.
Benefits of proper disposal methods
Embracing proper disposal methods for pet waste supplies a number of benefits:
Reduced environmental pollution
Proper disposal approaches lower the threat of environmental pollution, securing waterways and ecosystems from contamination
Minimized threat of water contamination.
By avoiding flushing animal waste down the toilet, the danger of water contamination is significantly lowered, securing public health.
Boosted sanitation and hygiene
Appropriate disposal techniques advertise far better hygiene and health, developing a safer environment for both humans and animals.
Verdict
Finally, flushing animal waste down the bathroom is unsafe to the atmosphere and public health. By embracing alternate disposal approaches and complying with correct waste monitoring techniques, we can lessen the adverse impact of pet waste and add to a cleaner, healthier planet.
Can You Flush Dog and Cat Poo Down the Toilet?
Cat poo often contains a highly resistant parasite called Toxoplasma that can infect people and animals. Many municipal water treatments do not have equipment or processes to kill it (as they're designed for humans who don't poop this parasite!) meaning it would pass into our waterways, posing a risk to humans and animals alike. It can even prove fatal for some wildlife.
Many studies have shown that so called biodegradable and 'flushable' products, including flushable poo bags, don't actually disintegrate as claimed. This is primarily because they're designed to biodegrade in warm water, not cold water, like that in our toilets. In fact, 'flushable' poo bags have historically caused $8 million in blockages in Australia so it's not recommended to try flushing these bags, despite what they claim! The same goes for cat litter. Our old sewage systems are only designed for the 3 P's - Pee, Poo and Paper and can easily get blocked if anything else is thrown in.
So what about dog poo (without the bags)?
Again, dog poo is considerably different to human poo. It contains twice the harmful bacteria and viruses and also contains unique parasites. One particular parasite, Toxocara, is highly resistant to high temperatures. Our water treatment facilities are not designed to deal with dog poo pathogens such as this so there's a chance that they will pass through and contaminate our waterways if flushed down the toilet. Toxocara can also infect humans, causing blindness in children and infect animals so presents a public health risk. This is why many waste water treatment plants advise against flushing any type of pet poo down the toilet, due to the extra pathogens it contains.
Dog and cat poo can also contain medicines, such as parasite treatments, which can be highly toxic to aquatic life and may threaten the stability of entire ecosystems. Medicines are much trickier to clean from sewage and will likely pass unchanged into our waterways.
Scalability
There's also the question of whether flushing pet waste could really ever be a viable widespread solution. Could our old sewage systems really cope with the additional faeces of 12 million dogs and 10 million cats if everyone starting flushing their pet's poo? It's unlikely!
We contacted Wessex Water and South West Water on the matter of flushing pet poo and both gave different answers. The former advised it was safe to do so, while the latter strongly advised against it! This may be due to their different treatment processes which can vary depending on location. However both water companies agreed that you should never flush any 'flushable' products down the toilet, even if they claim to be safe to flush as in real world this just simply isn't the case and they often cause costly blockages. They emphasised that only the three P's - Poo, Paper and Pee should ever be flushed down the toilet.
Conclusion
In summary, never flush biodegradable or 'flushable' poo bags or cat litter down the toilet. We also feel it's safer to avoid flushing cat and dog faeces, due to it's pathogenic content, the unknown risks of parasite treatments and medicines on wildlife and the wider environment and due to the inconsistent advice. Dog poo may be disposed in a well managed compost or wormery, rather than down the toilet. If you are still really keen to flush pet poo, make sure you speak to your local water treatment plant before you do so, as they may or may not have the treatments to safely process it.
If you dispose of your pet's waste in general waste then ensure to do so in the most eco-friendly way by using recycled poo bags such as Award Winning ReSEAcled poo bags. Experts advice it's better to re-use waste that was already destined for landfill or incineration rather than using poo bags made form virgin materials because this helps reduce plastic production, reduce plastic pollution and cuts carbon emissions and energy use. ReSEAcled poo bags are also the world's first Plastic Negative poo bags, removing 5 times as much plastic from the environment than they use! Click here to learn more.
https://petimpact.co.uk/blogs/poo-revolution/can-you-flush-pet-poo-down-the-toilet
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