Can I Flush Baby Wipes?

In a muddle over which wipes are safe for sewers?  Let us clear things up. 

Wipes (especially those containing plastic), that are flushed down the loo, are one of the main culprits behind the creation of sewer-wrecking fatbergs. 

In 2017, the biggest ever in-depth investigation of sewer blockages in the UK proved that flushed plastic wipes had caused some serious problems...

The project found that wipes could make up around 93% of the material causing fatbergs and other obstructions. These wipes – which included a high proportion of plastic baby wipes – weren’t designed to be flushed. But many were – and still are – labelled “flushable”.

 Thanks to an old industry standard, wipes are being labelled “flushable” - even if they don’t break down quickly when they enter our sewers.

But, when it comes to flushing, you don’t have to give all baby wipes a wide berth. The fight against fatbergs received a major boost with the publication of Water UK’s official Fine to Flush standard.

Thanks to this newest standard unveiled in 2019, you can be certain that some wipes, such as Pura’s 100% plastic-free flushable baby wipes, are totally safe to pop down the toilet.

Look out for the label

Only wipes that feature the Fine to Flush symbol, like Pura’s do, will safely dissolve in drains – just like loo roll – instead of contributing to the notoriously yucky fatbergs.  

 In fact, Pura’s wipes break down in a matter of weeks – as opposed to the years it can take plastic wipes to disintegrate.  

To achieve Fine to Flush status, we had to pass Water UK’s stringent tests, which include looking for plastics and residuals that could contaminate rivers, estuaries and the sea.

Commenting on the Fine to Flush standard when it was unveiled, Water UK’s chief executive Michael Roberts said: “This is an important step in the battle against blockages. We’ve all seen the impact of fatbergs recently, and we want to see fewer of them.

“Improving the environment is at the core of what the water industry does, and the new ‘Fine to Flush’ standard that we’ve created will make it easier for consumers to buy an environmentally-friendly product instead of one which clogs up drains and sewers.”

So, when it comes to flushing, it’s actually quite simple – make sure you check for the Fine to Flush label on your wipes! We’re delighted that Pura’s flushable baby wipes have the all-clear.