DON’T FLUSH THAT!

Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority works to clean and reclaim water—but flushing the wrong items can clog pipes, cause backups, increase costs, and harm local waterways. Help protect your home and our sewer system by flushing only the 3 Ps: Pee, Poop, and (toilet) Paper.

See the Unflushables below and help spread the message: “Don’t Flush That!”

DON’T FLUSH THAT

TOILET TIPS

PAPER ONLY PLEASE

Toilet paper is the only item, besides pee and poop, that can break down in our sewer system. Anything else can hurt the environment and cause costly damage. The average cost to clean a drain is between $160 and $450. Don’t take these chances with your drains! DON’T FLUSH THAT!

Toilet Tip Paper

DON’T FLUSH THAT

TOILET TIPS

PILLS ARE A PAIN

Flushing medicine harms the environment and aquatic life. Chemicals can contaminate drinking water and disrupt fish populations. DON’T FLUSH THAT! Dispose of prescriptions safely at a drug take-back site. Find a drop-off location at ARTakeBack.org.

Toilet Tip Pills

DON’T FLUSH THAT

TOILET TIPS

WIPES CLOG SEWER PIPES

Don’t be fooled by the “flushable” tagline. Wipes never break down in the sewer system, which can lead to clogs, damaged pipes, and overflowing toilets and sinks. Wipes can entangle and create blockages when mixed with other unflushable items. Do your part to protect your pipes and our shared system and avoid costly repairs.
DON’T FLUSH THAT!

Toilet Tip Wipes

DON’T FLUSH THAT

TOILET TIPS

THROW AWAY HYGIENE ITEMS

Tampons, pads, and condoms never break down in the sewer system. They can cause clogs and backflow into your home. This contributes about $46 billion to America’s public wastewater treatment process each year. Once screened out, non-degradable items are sent to the landfill—where they would have ended up anyway had you just thrown them away!

Toilet Tip Hygiene

DON’T FLUSH THAT

TOILET TIPS

DIAPERS DESTROY DRAINS

Diapers expand in water, which can clog your home’s toilet and block city sewage pipes. DON’T FLUSH THAT! Diapers should always be thrown in the trash. Practicing this instead of flushing will help save your drain and prevent back-ups.

Toilet Tip Diapers

DON’T FLUSH THAT

TOILET TIPS

HAIR WREAKS HAVOC

Hair is actually one of the leading causes of clogged pipes. It can easily cluster in the main sewer lines and catch other items, which can cause clogs over time. DON’T FLUSH THAT! Invest in a hair catcher or drain protector to keep hair from clogging your drain. It’s a small investment to protect your drain and our shared system.

Toilet Tip Hair

DON’T FLUSH THAT

TOILET TIPS

TOSS THE FLOSS

Done with your floss? DON’T FLUSH THAT! Throw it away instead. Floss wraps around other waste items, forming clumps in the sewage system that lead to clogs and expensive repairs. The average cost to clean a drain is between $160 and $450. Unclogging a sink or bathtub can cost between $110 and $215. These costs could add up quickly if preventative measures aren’t taken.

Toilet Tip Floss

DON’T FLUSH THAT

TOILET TIPS

TOWELS ARE TERRIBLE

Towels create clogs that cause backflow into your home. They will never break down or dissolve like tissue paper. DON’T FLUSH THAT! You can repurpose or recycle your old towels instead of flushing them. Use them as cleaning rags, make them chew toys for your dog, or donate them to animal shelters.

Toilet Tip Towels

DON’T FLUSH THAT

TOILET TIPS

PLACE SYRINGES IN THE BIN

Syringes should always be safely placed into biohazardous containers or trash cans at home. DON’T FLUSH THAT! Flushing them can put utility workers and others at risk of being harmed.

Toilet Tip Syringes

DON’T FLUSH THAT

TOILET TIPS

THE POTTY IS NOT A TOYBOX

Keep an eye on your kids in the restroom. Toys can damage pipes and create clogs in the system. Plus, your child may lose a favorite toy that can’t be replaced. DON’T FLUSH THAT! Make sure to keep your lid down and even invest in lid locks to keep your child from accidentally flushing their favorite toy.

Toilet Tips Toys
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Don’t FLUSH THAT opup cover

DON’T FLUSH THAT

Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority works to clean and reclaim water so it’s safe for the environment—but harmful items flushed or poured down drains can damage our shared sewer system. These “Unflushables” cause clogs, backups, higher maintenance costs, and even pollution in local waterways.

Protect your home and our community by flushing only the 3 Ps: Pee, Poop, and (toilet) Paper. Help spread the word: “Don’t Flush That!”

Activities & Resources

Hey parents and teachers, be sure your little ones can identify what should and should not go down the drain! Download this activity so they can help Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority protect our sewer system, our environment, and our One Water.

OTHER RESOURCES

Check out other ways you can do your part, and remember to tell friends and family ‘Don’t Flush That!’ if it doesn’t belong in our drains!

 

dont flush that brochure
Water Facts
  • Most of the world’s water is salty or otherwise undrinkable, and another 2% is locked in ice caps and glaciers. Only 1% of the world’s water supply can be used as drinking water.
  • As the City of Little Rock’s sanitary sewer service, our system serves over 72,000 homes and businesses and over 1,400 miles of public sewers.
  • Flushing the toilet is the largest use of household water.
  • Much of the nation’s underground pipes have a lifespan of 75 to 100 years and are now due for replacement.
  • Our process begins when wastewater is transported from homes and businesses to one of three water reclamation facilities. These facilities have a peak capacity to treat up to 156 million gallons of used water a day.
  • At our water reclamation facilities, we use a safe, natural process to treat this “used” water and return it to the environment—in our case, the Arkansas River.
  • Water released from LRWRA is generally cleaner than water in the Arkansas River.
  • A one-day nationwide disruption in water service would cost $22.5 billion in national GDP.
  • Closing the national water infrastructure investment gap would create 1.3 million American jobs.