Sewerage / Sheet 3
What not to flush
Only the three Ps go down the toilet: pee, poo and toilet paper. Greater Western Water, Hunter Water and Icon Water each put it that way, and each sends everything else to the bin. Icon Water names one exception: a product marked as meeting the flushable products standard, AS/NZS 5328:2022.
General information from the utilities’ and regulators’ own pages, listed at the foot of this page. Your own water utility and council set the rules for your property.
Four bin lists, side by side
Each utility words its list a little differently. Where an item appears, the schedule uses the utility’s own word for it. South East Water’s list is the one for homes on its pressure sewers, where a tank and pump on the property take the first hit.
| Item | Greater Western Water | Hunter Water | Icon Water | South East Water (pressure sewers) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wipes | Non-flushable wet wipes, makeup wipes | Wet wipes | Wet wipes | Wipes: baby, hand, cleaning or toilet |
| Tissues and paper towels | Tissues and paper towels | Paper towels, tissues | Tissues | Not on its list |
| Sanitary products and nappies | Tampons, pads and wrappers; nappies | Sanitary products | Sanitary products | Nappies, sanitary items |
| Cotton buds and hair | Cotton buds | Cotton buds, hair | Not on its list | Not on its list |
| Kitchen waste | Fats, oils or food scraps | Cooking oils and fats, food scraps | Not on its list | Fats, oils or grease; seafood shells |
| Chemicals and fuels | Paints, pesticides, solvents, aerosols, disinfectants, motor oils | Household chemicals and cleaners | Hazardous items such as paint go to the ACT’s city services | Paints or chemicals beyond normal household use; petrol, diesel, flammable liquids |
| Solid objects | Plastics, non-biodegradable products, underwear, condoms | Not on its list | Kitty litter | Glass, metal, plastic; clothing, socks, rags; kitty litter, rocks |
“Not on its list” means only that the page does not name the item. It is not a sign that the item is safe to flush.
The flushable products standard
Icon Water treats a product as safe to flush if its pack carries the standard’s symbol, or the words “Complies with AS/NZS 5328:2022”. A product that passes the standard’s tests should break down on its way through the network, much as toilet paper does.
Greater Western Water’s rule for the rest is simple: no symbol on the pack, or any doubt, and it goes in the bin.
Why people flush what they shouldn’t
Icon Water surveyed Canberrans in May 2023 and found that 11% of those asked had flushed a sanitary product. Of those, 43% had not known it could cause problems, and another 41% said there was no bin or other way to get rid of it.
Its suggestion follows from that: a small bin beside the toilet, emptied every few days.
At the kitchen sink
Greater Western Water’s advice for the kitchen, in short:
- Put a strainer in the sink to catch food scraps.
- Before washing up, wipe the grease out of pans and pots with a paper towel.
- Keep cooking oil out of the sink. A little can go in a home compost; check with the council before putting it in a food and garden bin, or collect it for a local recycling facility.
- Household chemicals can go to a free Detox Your Home event.
What it costs further down the line
Icon Water’s blockage crews have pulled teeth, cutlery, dentures, money and even a whole bike out of Canberra’s pipes. Most of what goes wrong is less dramatic. Melbourne Water says sewers spill when fats, oils or tree roots block or break them, and Hunter Water notes the overflows can reach homes and waterways and leave owners paying for a plumber.
Whatever gets past the household pipes meets the screens at a treatment plant: at Melbourne’s eastern plant, the first stage exists partly to catch cotton buds and rags. On a pressure sewer the cost can land closer to home: South East Water says that if the system fails because of something on its list, the owner may have to pay for the repair.