Whilst familiar for years in female loos, men may soon be confronted with the inclusion of a bin in their toilets. This new idea is part of a concerted effort on behalf of London Assembly's environment committee.
Rising concerns have grown over the large 'fatbergs' popping up in London's sewers - large clogs of sanitary items, most well known being wet wipes mixed with grease. Over 11 billion wet wipes are used throughout Britain throughout the year and around 4 billion disposable nappies on top of that. Sales of incontinence products have gone up by 50% as the population ages, without anywhere for these to be placed.
The problem is growing each day; from just one of its sites alone, Thames Water had to remove 30 tonnes a day of unflushable material, all adding to the "fatbergs" found in the sewers. The largest one around known as the Whitechapel Monster was around 10 metres longer than the Tower Bridge. At 250m it poses a real danger to the sewage system.
The growing hot weather has probably contributed to the issue - the hot and dry weather means that waste is not fully flushed, and becomes compacted. This builds up over time, creating a large plug that causes floods when the water finally comes.
"Public awareness around single-use plastics, in terms of disposable water bottles and coffee cups, is high. But what about other daily products – wet wipes, nappies and period products?" Asked Caroline Russell of the Green party, chair of the London Assembly environment committee. "We urgently need to educate people not to flush these items down the toilet, and take some practical steps to help the situation."
