Think about what you are flushing down the toilet or washing down the sink…that’s the message from Unitywater.
Unitywater is asking residents and visitors to be more mindful about what is being flushed down the toilet or rinsed down the sink, after Buderim, Nambour and Maroochydore featured in the utility’s top ten list of wastewater network blockages during 2024/25.
This list of hotspots was responsible for almost one quarter of the 4,395 known wastewater blockages across Unitywater’s entire Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Noosa service region over the 12-month period.
Unitywater Executive Manager Customer Delivery, Rhett Duncan, said unflushables like paper towels, wet wipes, cotton tips, tissues, tampons, nappies and other items were the key contributors to blockages.
“The only things that are ok to flush down the toilet are pee, poo and toilet paper,” Mr Duncan said.
“Toilet paper is manufactured specifically to breakdown in water within 30 seconds, unlike tissues and paper towel which are marketed for their strength, or wet wipes which often contain plastics.
“These unflushables can combine with fats and oils to create large lumps that block the pipes under your house, the wastewater pipes under your street, or clog the pumps that are meant to be pushing this wastewater to a treatment plant.
“When there’s a blockage in the pipe, the next flush could cause it all to come back up through your bathroom floor drains in a big smelly mess, and no one wants to have to clean that up.
“Think before you flush and keep a small bin next to the toilet to make it easy to put rubbish in the
right place.”
Large blockages in Unitywater’s underground wastewater pipe network could also result in overflows in the street which can risk public health and harm the natural environment.
Mr Duncan said it was also important to prevent fats and food scraps from being rinsed down kitchen sinks.
“Oil from the fry pan will cool, harden and line your pipes, catching those food scraps and coffee grinds until the pipes get blocked.
“Pre-wipe pots and pans with paper towel before doing the washing up and keep a jar under the sink to collect larger amounts of used cooking oil and put it in the bin once its full.
“Use a sink strainer to redirect those vegie scraps, coffee grinds and egg shells, which are great in a compost or green waste bin, along with expired milk which can be put onto garden beds,” Mr Duncan said.
Unitywater’s Top 10 suburbs with highest number of blockages in 2024/25
- Buderim: 237 (Sunshine Coast)
- Caboolture: 134 (Moreton Bay)
- Nambour: 105 (Sunshine Coast)
- Redcliffe: 92 (Moreton Bay)
- Maroochydore: 92 (Sunshine Coast)
- Clontarf: 90 (Moreton Bay)
- Tewantin: 90 (Noosa)
- Narangba: 89 (Moreton Bay)
- Deception Bay: 82 (Moreton Bay)
- Noosaville: 73 (Noosa)
Total: 1,011
