Cork enviro campaigner takes a look into our sewers... so you don't have to

Only the 3 Ps for the loo please says the de-influencer who visited a pumping station and discovered more than she wanted to know about some of the nasties flushed down our toilets 

Shannen Healy, (aka _greengal) getting kitted out to look down the drains at Portmarnock

Is there any limit to what people flush down toilets? A system that was invented as a means of disposing of natural bodily excretions is regarded by some in the same way as waste bins.

Many toiletries, such as wet wipes, cotton pads and dental floss, are part of the ‘dirty dozen’ — the main objects that are incorrectly sent on their not-so-merry way through toilets in Ireland. Other items include hair, paper towels, medicine, sanitary products, discarded food, contact lenses, condoms, cigarette butts, and cotton bud sticks.

“Only the 3 Ps, that’s pee, poo and paper, should be flushed down the toilet, everything else should go into the bin," is the blunt message from Nuala Woods, head of wastewater operations, Uisce Éireann (UE), a partner with Clean Coasts in the Think Before You Flush campaign.

Shannen Healy with Darragh Woods (Uisce Éireann Wastewater Network Manager) and Sergiu Huniade (Uisce Éireann Wastewater Network Senior Operator) at Portmarnock Pumping Station

So, where do all these other things end up? Cork-born Shannen Healy, whose background is in microbiology and sustainability, went to Portmarnock pumping station, in Dublin, last month, to see for herself.

“Even in the short time I was there, I was shocked by the number of items turning up in the system that should never have been flushed, sanitary pads, plastic wrappers, and plenty of other unpleasant things I won’t mention!" she reports.

Wet wipes clinging to equipment in the drain at Portmarnock Pumping Station

“I also heard about even stranger discoveries in the past: jeans, an air fryer, and countless wipes and sanitary products. Our waterways are circular: what goes down the drain will eventually come back to us. That’s why it’s so important to think about how we use them."

Dublin-based Shannen, a crusader for responsible consumption and waste reduction, urges people to think before they flush, which would make a huge difference.

“Not only can you prevent blockages and avoid costly repairs at home, but you’ll also help protect the environment, keeping pollution out of our rivers, beaches, and oceans."

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When items such as wet wipes are flushed away, they can cause serious blockages in waste-water systems, sewage overflows and even more pollution.

Shannen Healy showing us different types of wet wipes, all of which should never be flushed down the toilet

Even if some of the afore-mentioned items are labelled as flushable, they should be disposed of in the bin. UE clears thousands of blockages from the wastewater network every month.

Dating back to ancient Greek and Roman times, water has been used to carry off human waste, but a man with a popular West Cork surname, Sir John Harrington, is credited with building England’s first flush toilet, in 1596. Such toilets did not become commonplace until the building of public sewers in 19th century Britain.

The loo-inventor was a godson of Queen Elizabeth I, but I wonder has he any distant relations in the Beara Peninsula, home of the Harringtons?