NI Water Urge Armagh to 'Bag It and Bin It'
05 July 2010 8:34
The sewerage system is only designed to cope with human waste and small volumes of toilet roll. Other items such as cleaning wipes, cotton buds, nappies and sanitary products which people flush down the toilet, do not break up and usually clump together to form a ball of rags.
Anthony McGirr, NI Water’s Customer Manager for the area explains:
“Many people genuinely don’t realise the damage they are doing, not only to their own internal pipes, but also to the sewerage system they share with their neighbours. It is only when faced with blocked drains and out-of- sewer flooding that they realise those ‘harmless wipes’ are in fact creating chaos!
“The cost of the damage caused to our sewerage system by inappropriate flushing and dumping in drains is also a major factor. NI Water spends in the region of £1.7 million per year clearing blocked drains, money which could be spent improving services to the local community.”
NI Water is playing an active role in educating the public on the benefits of disposing their waste in a bin, however, they need the support of the public to make this message a reality.
A further problem faced by NI Water is how households and businesses dispose of fat, oil and grease, which also causes major blockages in the sewerage system. Customers can view the damage done to sewers first hand by accessing the following YouTube video at:
http://www.youtube.com/northernirelandwater#play/all/uploads-all/0/UCutKlVK3UY
Leaflets on the campaign will be delivered to properties in the area.