In Toulouse, wipes thrown in the toilet are “a scourge” and the consequences are serious
Through David Saint-Sernin
Published on
It was an incident that had serious consequences for the fish life of the Hers river east of Toulouse.
On October 10, 2021, a problem with the lift pump at the Argoulets wastewater treatment plant had caused a Pollution which had rewarded the death of dozens of fish.
What is less known is that the technical incident was directly linked to the presence of wipes in the wastewater network.
Because of the wipes thrown in the toilets by the users, a lifting pump was blocked. The sensor to detect the incident had not worked and the water from the station had flowed into the river, ”recalls Robert Médina, vice-president of Toulouse Métropole in charge of water and sanitation.
Wipes account for 80% of breakdowns
A year and a half later, the wipes problem which ends up in the wastewater network, then in the treatment plants of the Pink City, remains the same. And to the same causes the same effects.
“It’s a real disaster, a real scourge, admits the chosen one. 80% of breakdowns in wastewater treatment plants in Toulouse Métropole are linked to the presence of wipes. They are blocking the lift pumps, there are obstruction problems…”
A dumpster at the incinerator every day
Faced with this “scourge”, Toulouse Métropole does not have 36,000 resources to fight. The community has a system of sensors to identify breakdowns and intervene as quickly as possible. It has also invested in screen baskets that allow the wipes to be recovered. Every day, an entire dumpster of wipes is collected from network stations. All these wipes are then burned in the incinerator of the Metropolis.
New communication
A Metropolis that will continue to hammer home the message of “do not throw wipes in the toilet but in a trash can”. As in 2020 and 2021, other campaigns will take place with Toulouse residents in the coming months.
Of the 1,500 tonnes of waste treated per year at Ginestous, 40% is wipes.
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