A ten ton mass of wet wipes clogged the sewage system in central Israel.
The body responsible for wastewater and sewage treatment in Gush Dan, Union, reported last weekend an unusual amount of wipes thrown in the area's toilets - causing a huge blockage at the Ayalon pumping station.
As a result, a number of union workers have had to work around the clock to overcome the blockage of the system and about ten tons of wipes thrown in the toilets in Gush Dan, which includes Tel Aviv, Givatayim, Rosh Ha'ayin, Kfar Kassem and about 20 local authorities with about 2.5 million residents.
"Wipes have a feature that, along with fats and sticky material in the sewers, they form large chunks and stick to one another," says Amir Shalev, the manager of the Union's pumping stations. "The wipes are not consumable at all and they form huge blocks. They stick the systems, pumps and clog lines, which also costs a lot of money to fix."
The cost of damage caused by the flushing of wipes is estimated at millions of shekels a year.
"Wipes have a feature that, along with fats and sticky material in the sewers, they form large chunks and stick to one another," said Amir Shalev, the manager of the Union's pumping stations. "The wipes are not consumable at all and they form huge blocks. They stick the systems, pumps and clog lines, which also costs a lot of money to fix."
"All this can be easily avoided by throwing the wipes in the bin. Literally," explained Shalev.