10 Things You Should Never Dump Down the Drain

Human waste and toilet paper are the only things that should go down the toilet. Unfortunately, over the years, people have turned toilets into trash cans. From medicines and hygiene products to dead farmed fish and cigarette butts, people flush them down the toilet if they get in. Flushing these items down the toilet clogs sewer lines in your home and wastes water (up to 5 gallons of water per flush). Most importantly, it can significantly impact your sewer system trenches and not to mention our oceans.

We all know what not to put down the drain but are you sure you know everything? Dumping things down the drain may seem harmless, but it is more harmful than you think. When it comes to clogged drains, there are a lot of things that might fall down the drain and get stuck. Depending on the material, these materials can cause many problems with the plumbing system or create an environmental hazard when they end up in the waterways or oceans.

When it comes to a list of things you should never dump down the drain, most people think of hair, cooking oil, and grease. However, some things get overlooked. The following is a list of common items and why they should never be dumped down the drain:

1. Fats, Oils, and Greases (FOG)

Although oil is a common item in the kitchen for cooking, if you have a habit of pouring excess cooking oil every day or washing dishes with a lot of cooking oil down the drain, over time, the grease stains will stick to the walls. The thicker the drain, the more food particles accumulate, causing the drain to clog. In addition to cooking oil, meat scraps such as poultry, bacon, or gravy can also clog drains.

2. Coffee grounds

Coffee grounds indeed have many benefits, but you should not pour them down the drain to test their effects. Because the coffee grounds contain a certain amount of oil, it isn't easy to wash away and push the grounds down. This makes the drain hose more prone to clogging. Instead of throwing them away, use coffee grounds properly, such as exfoliating or deodorizing the room, deodorizing musty ...

3. Eggshell

You might think that eggshells are just small pieces of garbage and can't seem to clog a drain. But if we drop eggshells into the drain a lot, they will accumulate and can clog the drain.

4. Pasta

There will probably be some meals where you eat pasta instead of other foods to combat boredom. But when you're done with your pasta, be sure to separate the leftovers and throw them in the trash instead of down the drain because pasta soaked in water can swell and clog the drain.

5. Potato skins, nuts, and grains

The reason is not to throw potato skins or different types of peels into the drain because they interfere with water flow. If too much skin accumulates, it will cover the drain pipe and cause a blockage.

6. Condoms and dental floss

Both cause more problems than you think. These do not biodegrade and can cause sewer lines to clog. The toilet isn't the only drain people use to dispose of waste; People even use the kitchen sink as a trash can. Since the garbage grinder was invented, which claims to grind even hard objects like small bones and fruit peels, people have turned the sink drain into a common place to dispose of kitchen waste. Again, people will throw or dump things down the drain as long as possible. Letting trash go down the kitchen sink (or any other drain in the house) can clog drains and can eventually lead to sewage spills that are harmful to the environment.

7. Wet wipes

Usually, wet wipes contain substances such as lubricants to make them appear more challenging. But be aware that wet wipes do not break down like toilet paper, and they have the potential to clog drains and water treatment systems.

8. Drugs

It contains chemicals that you should not let into your wastewater. Remember that wastewater is treated and recycled, so we want to keep our wastewater as chemical free as possible. Our wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove chemicals from water. The best way to eliminate items like this is to make them unusable, such as crushing them and mixing them with coffee grounds, kitty litter, or soil first. When put in a plastic bag and put in the trash.

9. Household Hazardous Materials

Car oil, pesticides, paints, and solvents should never be dumped down the drain. All of these are highly toxic and will cause long-term damage to the environment. Dispose of these items by contacting a hazardous waste collection center near your home to bring these along with other household items there. If only a little paint is left? Once used up, place the paint can in a safe place (don't let children, pets, or ignition sources reach it) and open the lid to allow the remaining paint to dry. Once the paint has dried, close the lid and dispose of it in the trash or recycle.

10. Kitty litter— (especially cat litter like clay)

It will clog your drains sooner or later, even those that claim to be "yes." bounceable." The bigger problem is Toxoplasmosis, a parasite found in cat waste that is very harmful to marine biology. It is better not to let the cat's waste go into the sewage and should be disposed of in the trash.

You must always have some kind of container to catch these items before they get in your sink. You may be able to use your kitchen sink strainer and garbage disposal as a trap for small particles, but you will need something more substantial for more essential items like food waste. Sinks and drains are designed for anything liquid or semi-liquid; particles like food will quickly clog them up, which will cause leaks and backups that can lead to severe damage to your property and even health risks from sewage seeping into your home.