Learning the Dangers of Flushing Animal Waste Down the Toilet
Learning the Dangers of Flushing Animal Waste Down the Toilet
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Almost everyone may have their personal rationale on the subject of Don't Flush Your Pets Poo Down The Loo, Vet Warns.
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When it comes to dealing with waste, especially animal waste, many individuals frequently consider the convenient option of flushing it down the toilet. However, this seemingly simple solution can have serious consequences for the atmosphere and public health. In this article, we'll explore why flushing pet waste down the toilet is a negative concept and supply different approaches for appropriate disposal.
Intro
Proper garbage disposal is essential for maintaining environmental sustainability and public health. While it might seem safe to purge animal waste down the commode, it can lead to various issues, both for the environment and human health.
Threats of flushing animal waste
Ecological influence
Flushing pet waste introduces unsafe germs and pathogens into waterways, which can adversely affect marine communities. These virus can pollute water sources and damage aquatic life, disrupting fragile ecological communities.
Public health concerns
Animal waste contains unsafe germs such as E. coli and Salmonella, which can pose severe health and wellness dangers to human beings. Flushing animal waste down the toilet can contaminate water products, resulting in the spread of illness and infections.
Alternatives to flushing
As opposed to purging pet waste down the bathroom, there are a number of alternative disposal approaches that are a lot more environmentally friendly and hygienic.
Composting
Composting animal waste is an eco-friendly method to deal with it. By composting, raw material is broken down into nutrient-rich soil, which can be made use of to feed gardens and plants.
Garbage dump disposal
Taking care of animal waste in a garbage dump is another choice. While not as eco-friendly as composting, it is a much safer option to flushing, as it avoids the contamination of water sources.
Pet garbage disposal systems
There are customized family pet garbage disposal systems offered that safely and hygienically deal with animal waste. These systems often make use of enzymes to break down waste and remove odors.
Steps to correct pet waste disposal
To ensure proper disposal of animal waste, comply with these actions:
Scooping and landing waste
Frequently scoop and bag pet waste using eco-friendly bags. This protects against waste from polluting the setting.
Making use of marked waste containers
Dispose of bagged animal waste in assigned waste bins, such as compost containers or landfill containers. Prevent flushing it down the bathroom in any way expenses.
Cleansing litter boxes and animal areas regularly
Routinely tidy can and family pet areas to stop the accumulation of waste and bacteria. Usage pet-safe cleaning items to maintain health.
Advantages of proper disposal approaches
Embracing correct disposal techniques for pet waste provides numerous advantages:
Decreased environmental pollution
Correct disposal methods minimize the threat of environmental pollution, securing waterways and communities from contamination
Decreased risk of water contamination.
By preventing flushing animal waste down the toilet, the threat of water contamination is considerably decreased, safeguarding public health.
Improved sanitation and hygiene
Proper disposal approaches advertise far better sanitation and health, creating a much safer setting for both human beings and pets.
Verdict
To conclude, purging pet waste down the bathroom is damaging to the atmosphere and public health. By embracing different disposal techniques and following correct waste monitoring techniques, we can minimize the negative effect of animal 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
Routinely tidy can and family pet areas to stop the accumulation of waste and bacteria. Usage pet-safe cleaning items to maintain health.
Advantages of proper disposal approaches
Embracing correct disposal techniques for pet waste provides numerous advantages:
Decreased environmental pollution
Correct disposal methods minimize the threat of environmental pollution, securing waterways and communities from contamination
Decreased risk of water contamination.
By preventing flushing animal waste down the toilet, the threat of water contamination is considerably decreased, safeguarding public health.
Improved sanitation and hygiene
Proper disposal approaches advertise far better sanitation and health, creating a much safer setting for both human beings and pets.
Verdict
To conclude, purging pet waste down the bathroom is damaging to the atmosphere and public health. By embracing different disposal techniques and following correct waste monitoring techniques, we can minimize the negative effect of animal 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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