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Home News MWEA, RFA support new Michigan wet wipes labelling law

MWEA, RFA support new Michigan wet wipes labelling law

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MWEA, RFA support new Michigan wet wipes labelling law

The Michigan Water Environment Association (MWEA) and Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA) have joined forces to support Michigan's new law, requiring baby wipes, surface cleaning wipes, and other non-flushable wipes to display the ‘Do Not Flush’ symbol on packaging, effective February 1.

The law aims to help consumers easily recognize wipes that should never be flushed, as these wipes can cause damage to sewage infrastructure. Michigan clean water utilities pay an estimated $18 million per year in unplanned operating expenses to make repairs and clean up rag balls of non-flushable wipes.

The Michigan Water Environment Association (MWEA) and Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA) support Michigan's new law requiring non-flushable wipes, such as baby and cleaning wipes, to display the 'Do Not Flush' symbol.
The law aims to reduce damage to sewage infrastructure, with Michigan utilities spending $18 million annually on repairs.

“We want to remind people that the toilet is not a trash can,” said Cheryl Vosburg, executive director of the Michigan Water Environment Association (MWEA). “When residents flush things they shouldn’t, like baby wipes, it can cause significant damage to local sewage infrastructure.”

Michigan is one of seven states to require the proper labeling of non-flushable wet wipes. Other states include California, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Colorado, and New Jersey. Additionally, Congress is considering federal legislation called the WIPPES Act. Like the state laws, supported by both wastewater and the wipes industry, the WIPPES Act would make it a national requirement for all baby wipes and other non-flushable wipes made with plastic fibres to have the ‘Do Not Flush’ label, RFA said in a press release.

“Clear and well-placed disposal instructions on non-flushable wipes are key to consumer understanding of which categories of wipes should not be flushed,” said Lara Wyss, president of the Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA). “We know from consumer surveys that product packaging is the most trusted place from which people get disposal instructions, making the labeling law an important step in educating people about proper flushing habits.”

Around 90 per cent of all wet wipes across various categories sold in the US are considered non-flushable because they are made with long and often plastic fibres. These durable fibres are necessary for wiping tasks, such as hard surface cleaning or diapering. The other 10 per cent of wet wipes sold in the US are considered flushable wipes because they are made with short, plant-based, biodegradable fibres (not plastic) and are specifically engineered to break down in water, similar to toilet paper. For that reason, labelling laws requiring the ‘Do Not Flush’ symbol apply solely to non-flushable wipes and not wipes labeled as flushable.

The RFA, the California Association of Wastewater Agencies (CASA), and the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) jointly conducted a sewage system collection study in Northern and Southern California to take a forensic look at what’s being flushed down the toilet that shouldn’t be. More than 1,700 items were pulled during peak flow times from the bar screens of the wastewater treatment facilities in the Inland Empire (IEUA) and Contra Costa County (Central San).

The primary categories of items collected, analysed, and identified at these two study locations included 34.1 per cent wipes labeled with the ‘Do Not Flush’ symbol, 64.9 per cent other non-flushable items (paper towels, period products, trash, etc.), and 0.9 per cent wipes labeled as flushable. All non-flushable wipes were fully intact, whereas the flushable wipes were shredded and in the process of falling apart.

This California collection study is the most recent study undertaken, and the results were similar to other studies conducted previously, providing confidence that the results represent America’s flushing habits.

“If we can educate people about not flushing wipes with the ‘Do Not Flush’ symbol, paper towels, and feminine hygiene products, that would eliminate over 90 per cent of things that shouldn’t be flushed,” Wyss added.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)