A lack of toilet paper is causing havoc for sewerage networks across Queensland as desperate consumers resort to paper towel, newspaper and even old clothes as supermarket aisles remain empty.
WARNING: This story contains graphic content.
Water utilities have long been frustrated by people using wet wipes instead of toilet paper.
They clog pipes and create fatbergs — huge clusters of fabric bond with oil or fat in the sewers.
Now, as toilet paper remains scarce thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, Rhett Duncan from south-east Queensland's Unitywater said crews were finding a range of materials blocking the pipes.
"We've heard people are using all sorts of things in these desperate times — old clothes is one of those, newspapers, and wet wipes and paper towel," he said.
Scott Moorhead from Townsville Water said his team were also facing new challenges while trying to keep the pipes clear.
"Rags are quite common," he said.
"Wet wipes, flushable wipes, but even kitchen cloths all come through."
An expensive mistake
Clearing those blockages comes at a cost.
"In a normal year, it's costing us $2 million but in the last month or so, it has been a rapid increase," Mr Moorhead said.
And for the resident who flushes the wrong thing — the cost to fix the home plumbing can be steep.
Earlier this month, RTL Trades general manager Mick Bradley said his plumbers were going to 20 home blockages a week in Brisbane, up from an average of seven.
"The majority of blocked drains are caused by people flushing wipes down the toilet and the costs can run into the thousands," he said.
"At a minimum, you'll be looking at around $400–$500 to have a CCTV inspection carried out and the blockage cleared."
Spokesperson for Brisbane's Urban Utilities, Michelle Cull, said a "poonami" of wet wipes was also hitting their treatment plants and pump stations.
"One of the most shocking sights, is the huge volume of wipes we're removing from the screens at our pump stations every day," she said.
Urban Utilities estimates that even without the increase, it would remove 120 tonnes of wet wipes from its network per year, and clear 3,500 blockages.
The only things you should flush
Mr Duncan from Unitywater said only "pee, poo and toilet paper" should go into the toilet, because they are the only things that break down.
The major supermarkets have said toilet paper should soon be easier to find in stores, with demand calming down and purchase limits now in place.
Mr Duncan said he appreciates that some people may be desperate but said there was another way.
"We understand if people don't have toilet paper — they have to do what they have to do to get the job done," he said.
"But if it's not toilet paper, it doesn't belong in the toilet.
"Don't flush it. Bag it. Bin it."
