When Flushing Animal Waste Down the Toilet May be Harmful
When Flushing Animal Waste Down the Toilet May be Harmful
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Everybody maintains their personal perception when it comes to Why you should never flush dog poop down the toilet.
When it comes to throwing away waste, especially animal waste, lots of people often resort to the convenient option of flushing it down the commode. Nonetheless, this relatively simple service can have major consequences for the setting and public health. In this write-up, we'll explore why flushing pet waste down the toilet is a negative concept and supply alternative techniques for proper disposal.
Intro
Proper garbage disposal is important for maintaining ecological sustainability and public health. While it may appear safe to purge animal waste down the toilet, it can bring about various problems, both for the setting and human health.
Risks of flushing animal waste
Environmental impact
Flushing pet waste presents hazardous microorganisms and microorganisms into waterways, which can negatively influence marine ecosystems. These microorganisms can infect water resources and damage aquatic life, interfering with fragile ecological communities.
Public health issues
Pet waste contains hazardous bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella, which can pose serious wellness dangers to humans. Flushing pet waste down the toilet can pollute water supplies, bring about the spread of illness and infections.
Alternatives to flushing
As opposed to flushing animal waste down the toilet, there are several different disposal approaches that are more eco-friendly and hygienic.
Composting
Composting animal waste is a green method to take care of it. By composting, organic matter is broken down right into nutrient-rich dirt, which can be made use of to feed yards and plants.
Land fill disposal
Taking care of animal waste in a landfill is another option. While not as environmentally friendly as composting, it is a much safer option to flushing, as it avoids the contamination of water resources.
Pet garbage disposal systems
There are customized pet dog waste disposal systems readily available that safely and hygienically take care of animal waste. These systems often make use of enzymes to break down waste and remove smells.
Steps to appropriate pet waste disposal
To make sure correct disposal of pet waste, comply with these actions:
Scooping and bagging waste
Regularly scoop and bag animal waste using eco-friendly bags. This protects against waste from polluting the setting.
Utilizing assigned waste bins
Dispose of bagged pet waste in assigned waste bins, such as compost bins or landfill bins. Avoid flushing it down the commode in all expenses.
Cleaning litter boxes and pet locations regularly
Regularly clean can and pet areas to avoid the accumulation of waste and germs. Usage pet-safe cleansing items to maintain hygiene.
Benefits of proper disposal techniques
Embracing proper disposal methods for pet waste provides several advantages:
Minimized environmental pollution
Correct disposal methods lower the danger of environmental pollution, safeguarding waterways and ecosystems from contamination
Lessened danger of water contamination.
By avoiding flushing pet waste down the toilet, the risk of water contamination is substantially reduced, securing public health.
Improved cleanliness and health
Correct disposal approaches advertise much better hygiene and health, developing a much safer environment for both human beings and pets.
Verdict
In conclusion, purging pet waste down the commode is unsafe to the atmosphere and public health. By embracing alternate disposal methods and complying with proper waste management practices, we can reduce the adverse effect of pet waste and contribute to a cleaner, much healthier world.
Can You Flush Dog and Cat Poo Down the Toilet?
Cat poo often contains a highly resistant parasite called Toxoplasma that can infect people and animals. Many municipal water treatments do not have equipment or processes to kill it (as they're designed for humans who don't poop this parasite!) meaning it would pass into our waterways, posing a risk to humans and animals alike. It can even prove fatal for some wildlife.
Many studies have shown that so called biodegradable and 'flushable' products, including flushable poo bags, don't actually disintegrate as claimed. This is primarily because they're designed to biodegrade in warm water, not cold water, like that in our toilets. In fact, 'flushable' poo bags have historically caused $8 million in blockages in Australia so it's not recommended to try flushing these bags, despite what they claim! The same goes for cat litter. Our old sewage systems are only designed for the 3 P's - Pee, Poo and Paper and can easily get blocked if anything else is thrown in.
So what about dog poo (without the bags)?
Again, dog poo is considerably different to human poo. It contains twice the harmful bacteria and viruses and also contains unique parasites. One particular parasite, Toxocara, is highly resistant to high temperatures. Our water treatment facilities are not designed to deal with dog poo pathogens such as this so there's a chance that they will pass through and contaminate our waterways if flushed down the toilet. Toxocara can also infect humans, causing blindness in children and infect animals so presents a public health risk. This is why many waste water treatment plants advise against flushing any type of pet poo down the toilet, due to the extra pathogens it contains.
Dog and cat poo can also contain medicines, such as parasite treatments, which can be highly toxic to aquatic life and may threaten the stability of entire ecosystems. Medicines are much trickier to clean from sewage and will likely pass unchanged into our waterways.
Scalability
There's also the question of whether flushing pet waste could really ever be a viable widespread solution. Could our old sewage systems really cope with the additional faeces of 12 million dogs and 10 million cats if everyone starting flushing their pet's poo? It's unlikely!
We contacted Wessex Water and South West Water on the matter of flushing pet poo and both gave different answers. The former advised it was safe to do so, while the latter strongly advised against it! This may be due to their different treatment processes which can vary depending on location. However both water companies agreed that you should never flush any 'flushable' products down the toilet, even if they claim to be safe to flush as in real world this just simply isn't the case and they often cause costly blockages. They emphasised that only the three P's - Poo, Paper and Pee should ever be flushed down the toilet.
Conclusion
In summary, never flush biodegradable or 'flushable' poo bags or cat litter down the toilet. We also feel it's safer to avoid flushing cat and dog faeces, due to it's pathogenic content, the unknown risks of parasite treatments and medicines on wildlife and the wider environment and due to the inconsistent advice. Dog poo may be disposed in a well managed compost or wormery, rather than down the toilet. If you are still really keen to flush pet poo, make sure you speak to your local water treatment plant before you do so, as they may or may not have the treatments to safely process it.
If you dispose of your pet's waste in general waste then ensure to do so in the most eco-friendly way by using recycled poo bags such as Award Winning ReSEAcled poo bags. Experts advice it's better to re-use waste that was already destined for landfill or incineration rather than using poo bags made form virgin materials because this helps reduce plastic production, reduce plastic pollution and cuts carbon emissions and energy use. ReSEAcled poo bags are also the world's first Plastic Negative poo bags, removing 5 times as much plastic from the environment than they use! Click here to learn more.
https://petimpact.co.uk/blogs/poo-revolution/can-you-flush-pet-poo-down-the-toilet
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