Your Perils of Flushing Animal Waste Down the Toilet
Your Perils of Flushing Animal Waste Down the Toilet
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Everyone may have their private opinion when it comes to 4 Reasons Why Dog Poop Cleanup is Important.
When it comes to taking care of waste, specifically animal waste, many people usually resort to the convenient alternative of flushing it down the toilet. Nevertheless, this seemingly easy remedy can have significant consequences for the setting and public health. In this post, we'll explore why flushing animal waste down the bathroom is a poor concept and supply different approaches for proper disposal.
Intro
Appropriate garbage disposal is important for maintaining ecological sustainability and public health. While it may appear harmless to purge animal waste down the toilet, it can bring about different issues, both for the environment and human wellness.
Threats of flushing animal waste
Environmental influence
Flushing animal waste presents unsafe bacteria and pathogens right into waterways, which can negatively affect water environments. These pathogens can infect water resources and harm marine life, interrupting delicate ecosystems.
Public health worries
Pet waste consists of damaging bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella, which can pose serious health dangers to people. Flushing pet waste down the commode can contaminate water materials, causing the spread of conditions and infections.
Alternatives to flushing
As opposed to purging animal waste down the toilet, there are several alternative disposal methods that are much more environmentally friendly and hygienic.
Composting
Composting animal waste is an environment-friendly method to dispose of it. By composting, organic matter is broken down right into nutrient-rich dirt, which can be made use of to feed yards and plants.
Landfill disposal
Dealing with pet waste in a landfill is one more choice. While not as environmentally friendly as composting, it is a more secure option to flushing, as it stops the contamination of water sources.
Animal waste disposal systems
There are specific family pet garbage disposal systems readily available that safely and hygienically get rid of animal waste. These systems typically use enzymes to break down waste and get rid of smells.
Steps to correct pet garbage disposal
To make sure proper disposal of pet waste, follow these steps:
Scooping and bagging waste
Regularly scoop and bag pet waste utilizing biodegradable bags. This protects against waste from contaminating the setting.
Making use of designated waste bins
Dispose of bagged animal waste in designated waste bins, such as compost bins or garbage dump containers. Prevent flushing it down the commode whatsoever prices.
Cleansing litter boxes and family pet areas regularly
Consistently clean can and family pet areas to prevent the buildup of waste and bacteria. Usage pet-safe cleansing products to preserve health.
Advantages of correct disposal techniques
Adopting correct disposal techniques for animal waste provides several benefits:
Minimized environmental pollution
Proper disposal approaches minimize the threat of environmental pollution, safeguarding waterways and communities from contamination
Minimized risk of water contamination.
By staying clear of flushing animal waste down the toilet, the threat of water contamination is significantly lowered, safeguarding public health.
Boosted hygiene and health
Proper disposal methods promote better cleanliness and health, producing a much safer environment for both people and pets.
Final thought
To conclude, purging pet waste down the toilet is hazardous to the environment and public health. By adopting different disposal techniques and following correct waste administration techniques, we can decrease the negative effect of pet waste and add to a cleaner, much healthier earth.
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
Consistently clean can and family pet areas to prevent the buildup of waste and bacteria. Usage pet-safe cleansing products to preserve health.
Advantages of correct disposal techniques
Adopting correct disposal techniques for animal waste provides several benefits:
Minimized environmental pollution
Proper disposal approaches minimize the threat of environmental pollution, safeguarding waterways and communities from contamination
Minimized risk of water contamination.
By staying clear of flushing animal waste down the toilet, the threat of water contamination is significantly lowered, safeguarding public health.
Boosted hygiene and health
Proper disposal methods promote better cleanliness and health, producing a much safer environment for both people and pets.
Final thought
To conclude, purging pet waste down the toilet is hazardous to the environment and public health. By adopting different disposal techniques and following correct waste administration techniques, we can decrease the negative effect of pet waste and add to a cleaner, much healthier earth.
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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