Program on the Environment

Most people don’t think about the consequences of flushing their toilets. If it doesn’t clog, it won’t cause any problems, right? Wrong – unfortunately, that isn’t always true. Flushing non-dispersible materials down the toilet – such as condoms, facial tissues, paper towels, tampons, and wipes – can damage pump stations, sewer systems, and wastewater treatment centers. Even if labeled “flushable,” these products (in addition to fats, oils, and greases) accumulate in wastewater infrastructure. Over time, this accumulation – termed “fatbergs” by wastewater professionals – can cause clogs, leaks, and overflows that pollute environments with hazardous chemicals and cost millions of dollars in maintenance, repairs, and remediation. Dilapidated infrastructure, inadequate labeling legislation, false advertising of toxic toiletries, and a consumer culture of disposability perpetuates this problem. My capstone project and internship at Cascadia Consulting Group emphasized community-based social marketing (CBSM) tools as frameworks for providing audience-, location-, and product-specific education and resources promoting healthy toilet disposal behaviors, and thus sustainable wastewater systems. Our campaign at the University of Washington (UW) – in collaboration with C+C, Seattle Public Utilities, UW Housing and Food Services, and UW Fraternity and Sorority chapters – utilized mixed methods, including anonymous surveys, clog surveillance and infrastructure assessments, informal interviews, literature reviews, and implementing interventions (door hangers, stall posters, stickers, and trash bins). Although the majority of respondents remembered information about flushing only toilet paper, and characterized interventions as “easy to understand,” self-reported results indicate CBSM strategies did not successfully effect significant pro-environment behavior change. What’s next?