Throwing things down the drain can be convenient at the time – until you have to call a plumber. Even worse, your actions could make you guilty of polluting our rivers and oceans. So think twice before putting these items down the drain:
1. Fat
Grease sticks to the insides of pipes and can eventually lead to blockages. Always scrape grease into the rubbish bin before doing the dishes. This includes fat from cooking meat, cooking oil, margarine and dairy.
2. Pasta and rice
These foods expand when soaked, including in your drain pipes. Remember, pasta is often made with semolina flour, which becomes sticky and easily gums up pipes.
3. Seeds
Small seeds like flaxseeds get stuck in the curves of pipes and cause blockages.
4. Coffee grounds
These may help to conceal odours, but according to mnn.com, plumbers maintain that coffee grounds are the main reason, apart from grease, for blocked drain pipes.
5. Eggshells
Even smashed into small pieces, eggshells tend to attach themselves to other waste and clog things up.
6. Paper towels
Unlike toilet paper, which is developed to eventually break up in water, paper towels have a high absorbency rate.
7. Condoms
They are more than likely made from latex and definitely won’t disintegrate in water. In fact, they will probably end up in an ocean somewhere and pose a threat to marine life.
8. Cleaning products
These usually contain phosphates and antibacterial agents, which are harmful to water ecosystems.
9. Product stickers
Throw those small stickers you find on fruit and vegetables into the bin. In drain pipes, they will get stuck on the sides and, because they are so small, they could eventually end up in a river or the ocean.
PHOTO: iStock/Jevtic
