/ Town Hall
Tuesday 20th March 2018
"Do not feed the monster", campaign against wet wipes flushed down the toilet
The president of Calvià 2000, Andreu Serra; the president of EMAYA, Neus Truyol; Joan Sagrera, vice president of SAM (Municipal Services Company of Manacor); and Tomeu Servera, manager of EMSER (Pollença), members of the Public Water Network of Mallorca, have presented several initiatives to combat and publicise the serious problems generated by wet wipes that are flushed down the toilet, along with other solid waste that should not be discarded in this way.
At the proposal of Calvià 2000, there will be an information and awareness campaign under the motto "DO NOT feed the monster", and an image that turns the blockages generated by the wet wipes in the sewage network and sewage treatment plants into a monster.
Likewise, the adhesion of town halls to the Declaration on the position of the international water sector regarding the products not suitable to be discarded down the toilet will be promoted as a measure of pressure so that the labeling of the wet wipes and personal hygiene products is correctly regulated, as Calvià Town Hall's plenary already did on 26th October 2017.
Likewise, it is proposed that town halls include in their municipal sanitation ordinances, the regulation of these practices and sanctions to this type of infractions.
The Public Water Network of Mallorca
The Public Water Network of Mallorca met for the first time a year ago (on 22nd March 2017, in Inca) and is made up of the municipalities that carry out public water management: Inca, Valldemossa, Esporles, sa Pobla, Pollença, Manacor, Banyalbufar, Palma, Calvià, Artà, Consell, Búger and Campanet. Since then, regular meetings have taken place and the Network has become a meeting place to exchange experiences and technical collaboration.
Several working groups have been set up on issues such as the networks, counters and the division's efficiency, energy efficiency and electricity purchase, the new Law on Public Sector Contracts, the revision of the Hydrological Plan, the calls for aids and subsidies, and the problem of wet wipes and other waste. With this presentation, they carry out the first joint public nature initiative.
415,000 euros cost
The problem of wet wipes and other waste thrown down the toilet is shared by all municipalities. Only in 2017, Calvià 2000 had to carry out more than 2,500 interventions, both in the network and in the pumping stations and the treatment plants. These interventions entailed a cost of 416,000 euros.
These interventions include:
-Cleaning and unblocking works, with own or external mixed trucks, to our facilities, in pipelines and pumping stations and sewage treatment plants.
-Works to repair faults in the boost pumps and in the treatment plants' equipments.
The total of solid waste removed from the Calvià sanitation network was 851 tons, causing problems and cost overruns.
In the case of Palma, more than 1,000 tons of waste that blocked the sewage network and the entry of wastewaters into the sewage treatment plants were removed in one year, involving a cost of 400,000 € for breakdowns, unblocking works, waste transport and repairs.
Wet wipes are the most visible residue that causes problems, but there are others that entail risk to public health and to the environment, such as aerosols, medicines (which should be discarded at chemists' SIGRE points), paints, etc. Other residues that also harm the functioning of the network are food waste, oils and fats, tampons, toothpicks and cotton pads, etc.
Municipal ordinance regulating Calvià's Network
On Thursday, 22nd March, the Calvià Town Hall's plenary will debate the municipal ordinance that regulates the sanitation network on urban land, an example that can help other municipalities to incorporate the need to regulate these problems in their sewage water sanitation regulations.
The existing regulation was insufficient and not adapted to the new needs and regulatory requirements. The new ordinance has been developed to guarantee the health and protection of the municipality's environment and promote a responsible use of public services and natural resources.
The most remarkable aspects of the ordinance are:
-It incorporates recommendations and good practices for the use of the sanitation network, and makes a list of those products of common consumption that have a direct impact on networks and sewage treatment plants.
-It regulates the inspection and control of discharges and the conditions of the interior installations.
-It establishes a penalty regime.
Adhesion to the international position
The Calvià Town Hall's plenary approved, on 26/10/2017, the Adhesion to the declaration on the position of the international water sector regarding the products not suitable to be flushed down the toilet, as a measure of pressure to regulate correctly the labeling of wet wipes and personal hygiene products. It is a positioning signed by public bodies and companies specialised in the water sector around the world, with which they want to put pressure to regulate correctly the labeling of wet wipes and other personal hygiene products, and thus avoid environmental and economic problems described above.
With this statement, wastewater operators agree that:
-Down the WC you only have to discard the urine, excrement and toilet paper (3Ps in English: Pee, Poo and -Toilet- Paper).
-Currently, ALL wipes and personal care products should be clearly labeled as "Do not throw down the toilet" and should be thrown in the bin.
-Wet wipes and products labeled as "Suitable for throwing down the toilet", based on a guide of recommendations of the associations of manufacturers, have to be labeled as "Do not throw down the toilet", until a technical standard is agreed with the water sector.
-Wet wipes and personal care products manufacturers should provide consumers with clear and concise information about appropriate disposal methods.
- Looking ahead, innovations in materials may make it possible for some products to be labeled as "Suitable for throwing down the toilet", once they meet a technical standard that has been agreed with the water sector.
With this joint initiative, it is now proposed that the rest of the municipality also adheres to this international declaration to jointly pressure the State and manufacturers to correctly regulate and label these products.
Communication campaign "DO NOT feed the Monster"
The network of 'Public Water of Mallorca' municipalities has prepared a Communication Plan with the aim of raising awareness in the population to not throw wet wipes down the toilet, to avoid the serious problems that these products generate in the sanitation network.
The creativity has been developed by Calvià 2000, and it has been freely handed over to the network. The aim is that all municipalities that wish to can use the same text and illustration, and thus strengthen the consistency and coherence of the message, and increase the scope of the campaign.
The chosen message is "Do not feed the monster". This idea is already consolidated in social networks and in the media, given that the figure that takes the accumulation of wet wipes in the ducts and in the impulsion pumps, forming large conglomerates of resistant fibers that cause blockages and obstructions, looks like a monster. The images that can be seen in the news, referring not only to Palma and Calvià, but also to large cities such as Bilbao, Valencia or London, corroborate this.
In addition, in the case of many municipalities on the island, where the floating population and tourists are also recipients of this campaign, the English translation, "Don't feed the monster", works very well.
Thus, the target audience of the campaign is composed of:
-Mallorca residents: this includes private homes, business premises and businesses.
-Tourists and visitors, staying in both hotels and tourist apartments.
-Other large generators: hospitals, health centres, social care centres (senior citizens' homes, for instance).
-Students of all educational cycles.
-Public administrations: town halls, Felib, Consell de Mallorca, Government of the Balearic Islands.
-Media.
Each municipality will decide which actions are more appropriate, depending on the importance of each public in their territory and depending on their available resources.
The actions that can be done are, for instance:
-Outdoor advertising (opis, posters, buses).
-Information in fairs and markets.
-Traditional campaigns in the media.
-Information on institutions' websites.
-Information and advertising in social networks.
-Give information in hotels and other businesses and activities, through business associations.
-Carry out training sessions in educational centres.
-Distribution of stickers for their placement on toilet lids.
