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Toilets Aren’t Trash Cans: How to Avoid Sewer Backups

Rockville has a flushing problem. Increasing amounts of unflushable trash are removed from Rockville’s sewer lines each year. These unflushables clog Rockville’s sewer lines and are one of the top causes of emergency sewer line maintenance calls.

Remember the four Ps: pee, poop, puke, and toilet paper. If it’s not one of these, drop it in the trash can, not the toilet. Examples of unflushable trash include: “flushable” wipes and diapers, pads, tampons, dental floss, cotton swabs, bandages, condoms, medication, hair, and cat litter.

You should care because:

• Clogs cost you money.
  In Rockville, the average cost to unclog a simple toilet blockage runs between $250-$500. More severe clogs further down your line can cause sewage backups that damage your belongings, your property, and even your neighbors’ homes, costing considerably more in repairs and replacements (not to mention neighborly goodwill). Even if you don’t own your home, a serious sewer backup can destroy your belongings and leave you (temporarily) without use of your facilities.
• Clogs hurt Rockville’s city infrastructure.
  Clogs in Rockville’s main sewer lines damage our pipes and require costly repairs to keep sewer service running smoothly throughout the city. And the more time and money the city spends on pipe repairs, the greater the cost to our water and sewer program, potentially leading to higher sewer rates and utility bills.
• Clogs damage the environment.
  Severe sewer line backups can flow into local streams and waterways, overflow into our parks and streets, and hurt plants and wildlife. Sewage overflows can promote harmful algal blooms and introduce disease-causing pathogens in our waterways. While this won’t affect your drinking water supply, it will impact the living conditions for our outdoor friends.