Dog poo bags labelled 'flushable' pose hazard to sewerage system
An Australian company selling "flushable" dog poo bags is contributing to a Sydney Water problem worth $8 million. Poop Bag Holder
A War on Waste investigation has discovered the bags, made from polyvinyl alcohol, don't dissolve quickly enough and need to be removed as rubbish from the sewerage network.
Peter Hadfield from Sydney Water was involved in experiments where the bags did not break down the way toilet paper does — a litmus test for what should be flushed.
"What they could do is cause a blockage in the pipes of people who are flushing them," he told Craig Reucassel in the latest episode of the War on Waste podcast.
He said after four hours in conditions that simulate a sewer, the doggy bags remained intact and became slightly sticky.
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"The reality is if [we only had to deal with] things that were meant to go down the toilet — like human waste and toilet paper — there wouldn't be any need for the infrastructure that we have here at Sydney Water," he said.
"Our workers here pull out toys, mobile phones, cash, jeans, and goldfish."
Currently, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has legal action against Kimberly Clark and Pental, who sell "flushable" wipes that have been responsible for blockages throughout the sewer network.
Removing the wipes alongside other waste is a $15 million operation nationally.
The problem lies with biodegradable products that should be placed in bins instead of sold as "flushable".
The flushable dog poo bags are made from the same plastic alternative used on dishwashing tablets and hospital grade washing bags, which dissolve when in contact with water.
Ulises Aregueta Robles, a PhD scientist from UNSW, said polyvinyl alcohol dissolves quickly in hot water but takes many days in room temperature water.
"When I was doing the experiment I was thinking, this is going to landfill," he said.
The polyvinyl alcohol bags should instead be placed in rubbish bins, to fulfil their eco-friendly purpose of biodegrading in landfill rather than having to be fished out from the sewer.
When contacted for a response, Bruce Hultgren, the owner of Oh Crap Poop Bags — formerly Flushable Poop Bags — said they were in the process of rebranding their product as biodegradable after growing concern from consumers about whether the product could go in the toilet.
"We've changed our distributing and [are] saying to dispose of them in the bin, quoting 'they are gone from landfill in six months'," he said.
"We still advise people if they want to flush them, they are a completely soluble product and anyone to say this isn't a soluble product is going against science because it does break down."
But Sydney Water's Peter Hadfield is not convinced. "We believe they aren't soluble quickly enough. Does your loo have hot water in it?"
He says the only thing that should be flushed are the "three Ps": "pee, poo, and paper".
The company aims to reduce the amount of single-use plastic bags, with dog poo currently making up around 4 per cent of landfill.
Mr Hultgren says the last thing the eco-company wants to do is cause an issue with a water supply company.
But despite its new branding, the company still maintains that the dog poo bags "can be flushed", according to a giveaway it promoted on Facebook this week.
There has been no recall of the product or clear communication the bags shouldn't be flushed.
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Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)