I'm sure many parents are like us. When your child finally gets to the age where they can use a toilet by themselves, you do your own kind of Potty Dance. Unfortunately it takes a while for true self-sufficiency. When "flushable wipes" came along, we bought them. We bought a lot of them. They seemed to be the answer between wads of toilet paper and a stinky 3 yr old. They were even easier for our child, and wonderful for camping. Big name toilet paper companies even started making some aimed at adults, and there were similar products in the feminine hygiene aisle. Wipes for everyone!
Unfortunately, the marketing was a bit misleading. They have become the bane of water treatment plants. They'll flush and not back up your pipes, but that's the end of the truth in advertising. The issue starts when they leave your house. When I realized they were such a problem, we stopped flushing them and then stopped using them altogether. The companies that make the wipes blame the consumers, saying that people are flushing regular baby wipes and not just the wipes that are intended to be flushed. While I don't doubt intelligence is a bell curve, I find it hard to believe that it's all baby wipes.
I ran across this video that illustrates the enormity of the problem. This is just one treatment plant in New York City. It's disgusting. It also makes me think what other products are causing problems I don't see because I'm blessed to live where my trash gets picked up in blue trucks and I never see it again. In this case, good old toilet paper is the way to go (no puns intended) because it breaks up and it's biodegradable. It's a natural product, unlike the plastics used in wipes. It doesn't end up in huge bins, being trucked to landfills.
Moms and dads - I hear you. Those wipes are calling your name. Just don't flush them. Or, consider a moist paper towel if your kid needs a little help. Think of the poor guy in the Bronx whose job is to use a rake to get them out of the treatment plant. Ew....
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