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5 things you should never, ever flush down the toilet

5 things you should never, ever flush down the toilet

Flushing things down the toilet is an easy way to quickly get rid of something and its smell. However, there are things that should absolutely not be flushed down the toilet, because they cause blockages and serious problems at sewage treatment plants. The following five things you should not flush down the toilet.

1. Goldfish

You should never flush (dead) goldfish down the toilet. When these end up in the sewer, they cause viruses and bacteria in the water. Yikes! Of course you don't want that.

2. Wet wipes

There are wet wipes – such as toilet paper – that you can flush down the toilet, but for some this does not apply. Think of baby, make-up or cleaning wipes. When wet wipes can be flushed down the toilet, this is often stated on the packaging.

3. (Solid) food scraps

There are things that you can easily flush down the toilet, such as soup or sauce. nevertheless, it is better to throw away solid food scraps in the wheelie bin or trash can, because otherwise they can clog the sewer.

Read also: 'Actually, we all poop wrong'

4. Old medicines

Every year, about 140,000 kilos of medicine residues are purified from waste water. What many people do not know is that you can simply return old medication to the pharmacy!

5. Fat

Liquid grease solidifies and can stick in the sewer. When you flush something else down the toilet, it sticks to the grease. In this way, the blockage gets worse and worse. Therefore, never flush frying, oil or shortening down the toilet.

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