TasWater News
27 Sep 2021

TasWater welcomes draft 'flushability standard'

27 Sep 2021

TasWater welcomes draft 'flushability standard'

TasWater welcomes the announcement that Standards Australia has released the draft standard, DR AS/NZS 5328 Flushable Products for public comment.
The draft standard outlines the criteria for materials which are suitable for flushing down the toilet in Australia and New Zealand.
Service Delivery General Manager David Hughes-Owen said TasWater is pleased a standard has been released for public comment and hoped it will lead to clearer guidelines around what not to flush.
“Items including wet wipes and paper towels, when flushed, cause a build-up in our systems,” Mr Hughes-Owen said.
“Flushing these items also risks blocking both the household pipes as well as TasWater’s sewerage system and they remain a problem right up until we have to sift them out when they reach the sewage treatment plant.”
“We hope that once the standard has been finalised, it will help lead to the reduction of items flushed which are not one of the three P’s: pee, poo or toilet paper.”
Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) Executive Director Adam Lovell said the draft Australia and New Zealand Standard will be the first of its kind internationally, where both utilities and manufacturers have come together in its development.
“It outlines a framework, provides labelling guidance and requirements, and sets out methods for testing whether products are suitable for toilet flushing and compatible with wastewater systems and the environment’, said Mr Lovell said.
“It has been developed by a technical committee including manufacturers, water utilities, peak bodies and consumer groups and includes pass/fail criteria.”
TasWater and WSAA encourage comments on the standard, which is available through the Standards Australia Public Comment Portal for a 9-week period until 1 November 2021.
For more information visit: https://www.standards.org.au/news/flushable-products-colon-publiccommenting-stage

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