Vapes, false teeth and a kayak: the bizarre things people are flushing down the toilet

Sydney Water crews responding to “chokes” in the system have been pulling out a bizarre array of items from vapes, false teeth to even a kayak, contributing to a rise in grease-laden “fatbergs”.

Vapes being flushed down school toilets are the latest item to wreak havoc in the Sydney sewage network, contributing to a rise in blockages and the formation of grease-laden “fatbergs” in the past year.

While wet wipes and tissues remain the biggest problem, Sydney Water crews responding to “chokes” in the system in the past year have been pulling out a bizarre array of items from golf balls and false teeth to car keys and crayons.

In the first four months of this year, crews have attended about 3700 jobs.

There has been a 12 per cent increase in blockages over the past year, with one caused by a kayak, believed to have made its way into the network via an open sewer pipe.

Sydney Water lifted the lid on Sydney’s worst toilet blockers.

Penrith in Sydney’s west and St Ives on the north shore were the worst offenders in flushing non-biodegradable items down the toilet, with the highest number of blockages.

With the chokes costing about $27m a year, Sydney Water’s “toilet blockers anonymous” campaign is trying to make people think twice before putting anything other than the “3 Ps – Pee, Poo and Toilet Paper” down the loo.

There’s been a 12 per cent increase in

blockages with one caused by a kayak.

Up to 20,000 network blockages were caused by people flushing household waste products like dental floss, hair, paper towels, and non-flushable wet wipes.

Sydney Water Wastewater and Environment director Iain Fairbairn said the problem could be solved by one simple action: putting a bin in the bathroom.

“My wish is that every single toilet in the country had a bin next to it,” Mr Fairbairn said.

“I just don’t think people think this stuff has an impact. If it disappears, flushes around the S-bend, they don’t think much beyond that.

“But if it blocks our sewage system, all of that cost is paid for through Sydney Water bills. There is also the cost of removing hundrers of tonnes of rubbish a year from the treatment plants.”

He said blockages had increased to about 1000 a month – up from about 8,000 a year a few years ago – with each “choke” costing about $917.

Non-biodegradable materials not only cause suburban pipe blockages, but contribute to the formation of fat bergs – hard masses of grease and oil intertwined with other items.

Sydney Water said blockages had increased to about 1000 a month.

Non-biodegradable materials not only cause

pipe blockages, but contribute to fatbergs.

While a “flushability” standard had been developed, it was voluntary.

The most recent Sydney Water customer data shows men aged between 18 and 29 are the biggest culprits when it comes to flushing rubbish down the loo, while around 75 per cent of wastewater blockages involve rubbish that should be put in a bin.

Brendan Dover, owner of plumbing business The Drain Man, said calls to schools to unblock toilet pipes choked by vapes had increased in the past year.

At fast food outlets, undies and other clothing items were often bizarrely the problem while cat owners contributed to blockages by flushing kitty litter, which “goes like cement” he said.

Originally published as Vapes, false teeth and a kayak: the bizarre things people are flushing down the toilet