Exploring the Hazards of Flushing Animal Waste Down the Toilet
Exploring the Hazards of Flushing Animal Waste Down the Toilet
Blog Article
This post which follows involving Why you should never flush dog poop down the toilet is quite engaging. You should read it.
When it pertains to taking care of waste, particularly animal waste, many people commonly resort to the hassle-free option of flushing it down the bathroom. However, this relatively very easy solution can have severe effects for the environment and public health. In this post, we'll discover why flushing animal waste down the bathroom is a poor concept and provide alternate approaches for proper disposal.
Introduction
Correct waste disposal is essential for preserving environmental sustainability and public health. While it may appear safe to flush animal waste down the toilet, it can cause various problems, both for the environment and human health.
Dangers of flushing animal waste
Ecological impact
Flushing animal waste introduces hazardous bacteria and pathogens right into waterways, which can adversely influence water environments. These pathogens can infect water resources and harm aquatic life, interrupting delicate ecological communities.
Public health worries
Animal waste includes unsafe germs such as E. coli and Salmonella, which can pose severe health dangers to human beings. Flushing pet waste down the commode can contaminate water materials, leading to the spread of conditions and infections.
Alternatives to flushing
Instead of flushing pet waste down the commode, there are several alternative disposal techniques that are a lot more eco-friendly and sanitary.
Composting
Composting pet waste is an environmentally friendly method to deal with it. By composting, organic matter is broken down into nutrient-rich soil, which can be used to feed yards and plants.
Land fill disposal
Disposing of animal waste in a land fill is an additional choice. While not as environmentally friendly as composting, it is a more secure choice to flushing, as it stops the contamination of water resources.
Family pet waste disposal systems
There are customized family pet garbage disposal systems offered that securely and hygienically deal with pet waste. These systems usually make use of enzymes to break down waste and eliminate odors.
Steps to proper pet garbage disposal
To ensure appropriate disposal of animal waste, adhere to these actions:
Scooping and bagging waste
Consistently scoop and bag animal waste utilizing naturally degradable bags. This protects against waste from polluting the environment.
Utilizing designated waste bins
Dispose of bagged animal waste in marked waste bins, such as garden compost containers or landfill bins. Avoid flushing it down the commode at all costs.
Cleaning litter boxes and animal areas consistently
Frequently tidy can and pet areas to avoid the accumulation of waste and read more germs. Usage pet-safe cleaning products to keep health.
Benefits of correct disposal methods
Adopting correct disposal methods for pet waste provides numerous benefits:
Lowered environmental pollution
Proper disposal techniques lower the risk of environmental pollution, securing rivers and environments from contamination
Reduced threat of water contamination.
By avoiding flushing pet waste down the toilet, the threat of water contamination is significantly minimized, protecting public health.
Boosted sanitation and hygiene
Correct disposal approaches promote much better cleanliness and hygiene, producing a more secure setting for both human beings and pets.
Final thought
Finally, purging pet waste down the commode is hazardous to the atmosphere and public health. By embracing alternative disposal approaches and following correct waste administration methods, we can decrease the negative influence of pet waste and contribute to a cleaner, much healthier earth.
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
I'm very serious about 4 Reasons Why Dog Poop Cleanup is Important and I really hope you enjoyed reading our page. Loved our piece? Please quickly share it. Let somebody else locate it. Thanks so much for your time spent reading it.
Click Here Report this page