JHH EVC FACT SHEET
Flushing Safety Tips FAQs
Items Never to Flush Down the Toilet:
 Never flush anything other than human waste and toilet paper (tissue).
 Certain items can be harmful to pipes, as well as the environment, and should never be flushed.
 Paper towels, baby wipes, cleaning wipes, feminine hygiene products such as tampons, and
facial tissue should never be flushed. They are much thicker than toilet tissue, therefore they
do not break down as well in pipes. All of these items are clog hazards.
 Never want to flush dental floss. Dental flush is not biodegradable. It can become twisted and
tangled around toilet paper in pipes and cause disastrous clogs.
 Cotton balls and Q-tips do not break down, and can cause potential clogging. Be sure to
dispose of these items in a trash can, and do not ever flush them.
 It seems obvious, but disposable diapers are not meant to be disposed of in the toilet. They are
made of plastic, and you are asking for a small disaster by flushing them down your toilet.
 Another important item to never flush is medication, both prescription and over-the-counter.
These medications are simply a mixture of chemicals. By flushing them, you are introducing
these chemicals into the sewer system, and most water treatment stations are not equipped to
successfully remove these chemicals from the water supply. The same rule applies to pesticides
and cosmetics, which also contain chemicals that are unsafe for the water supply.
 Other non-flushable items are grease, food fat, dirt, band aids, hair, food scraps, and cigarette
butts (smoking is not permitted in hospital).
 Never flush any latex material.

Never flush any cleaning wipes (i.e. Wet Task Wipes, Super Sani Cloths, Cardinal Alcohol
Wipes etc…)
Wet Task Wipes
Super Sani Cloths
Cardinal Alcohol Wipes
The toilet must never be used as a trash can. It is important to be aware of the potential hazards of
clogging drains with items which were never intended to be flushed. It is also imperative to remember
that a lot of these items contain potentially hazardous chemicals and toxins and are capable of
polluting our water supply and damaging pipes/drains.
Reminder: Stick to the rule of flushing nothing but toilet tissue and human waste.