Sewers are designed to take our wastewater and carry it safely to a treatment plant. But other items often get flushed and can create problems. We all need to keep things flowing through the sewer. Poop, pee and toilet paper? Okay. Everything else? Put it in the trash!

• Do you want to keep raw sewage from backing up into your home?
• Would you like to keep sewage from bubbling out of the manhole in the street outside?
• When you flush your toilet, would you rather see the water go down instead of overflowing?

If you answered yes to any of these, then don't use your toilet as a trash can!

Why YOU should care

Sewer blockages can cause all of these:

• Plugged and overflowing toilets
• Poorly draining sinks and showers
• Raw sewage backing up through your drain
• Manholes overflowing onto the ground or into nearby surface waters
• Health hazards and nuisance odors
• Increases in the city's maintenance costs
• Costly maintenance and repair bills for you!

Even things that are labeled "flushable" can cause problems in the sewer system. Flushable toilet brushes and mop heads? Put them in the trash!

Don't Flush That!:

• Paper towels
• Wipes (even "flushable" ones)
• Cloth or paper rags
• Plastic items
• Condoms
• Feminine hygiene products
• Diapers
• Kitty litter
• Cigarette butts
• Dental floss
• Latex gloves
• Hypodermic needles
• Facial tissues
• Grease
• Gas/oil/solvents
• Anti-freeze
• Paints
• Dirty water from washing cars
• Sewage from septic tanks
• Pesticides/herbicides
• Toys