Think no wipe is genuinely flushable? Think again!

Starting today, Unblocktober is the world’s first month-long national campaign and awareness month to improve the health of sewers and seas!

The 2019 event saw more than 5,000 Britons pledge to change their kitchen and bathroom habits to fight fatbergs and plastic pollution in our watercourses and oceans.

Unfortunately, non-flushable, plastic wipes make up around 93% of the material feeding the gross fatbergs that clog our sewers and should never, ever be flushed.

But thanks to a new standard established by Water UK, you can be certain that all wipes labelled Fine to Flush - like Pura's flushable baby wipes - will break down like loo roll and are entirely safe to pass through our sewers.

Before Fine to Flush, the labelling of plastic wet wipes wasn’t exactly clear – and in some cases, actively misleading.

All this meant that people were unaware that they were feeding monstrous fatbergs – like the 40-tonne monstrosity, the size of a double-decker bus, that had to be cleared from a London sewer.

Plastic wipes that weren’t designed to go ‘round the bend’ were even labelled “flushable”. This is because INDA/EDANA’s international standard for flushability (known as GD4, in case you want to get technical) doesn’t directly apply to the UK.

Launched in 2019, the Fine to Flush certification is now the UK’s only standard for flushability.

Water UK is very clear on this – wipes manufacturers should not label or sell products advertised as flushable if they don’t pass the official Fine to Flush standard.

Bog standard – why you can trust Fine to Flush

To attain the certification, brands like Pura are put through their paces in stringent, scientific tests by WRc, the independent experts who developed the standard in partnership with Water UK.

Wipes go through no less than seven physical tests to make sure they don’t damage either sewers or treatment systems.

1. WC bowl clearance

2. Drainline clearance

3. Disintegration in the drainline

4. Snagging in the drainline

5. Continued disintegration in the sewer

6. Settlement in treatment processes

7. Determination of synthetic and non-synthetic organic components

Pura wipes are totally, utterly, absolutely 100% safe to flush! 

Pura’s Flushable wipes were certified Fine to Flush in early 2020. While 90% of baby wipes contain plastic, Pura’s flushables are 100% plastic-free and made from 100% biodegradable plant fibres. This means they sink when flushed, rather than floating, and will break down in a jiffy so they won’t block pipes. Perfect for hygienic nappy changes and potty training!

Can I flush more than one?

Although Pura’s flushables are completely safe to flush, they aren’t designed to be flushed in bulk (we’ve written handy instructions outlining this on the pack). So, make sure you keep sewers clean and green by only flushing one wipe at a time. 

Find out more about Unblocktober here. 

Want to know more about the science bit? The technical name for Fine to Flush is Water Industry Specification (WIS) 4-02-06. Full details are available here.