Free the Poo 2 tackles sanitary products
Icon Water is launching phase 2 of its successful ‘Free the Poo’ campaign, which is aimed at public education to help reduce blockages in Canberra’s wastewater pipes.
While the original Free the Poo was squarely focused on the message “Wet Wipes Block Pipes”, the second phase will be taking on a lesser-known issue of sanitary products contributing to wastewater pipes blockages.
The little poo character which has adorned Canberra buses is back, this time fighting blockages caused by sanitary products.
Research conducted by Icon Water, Canberra’s publicly owned water utility, showed 11% reported flushing a sanitary item. Of those who had flushed a sanitary item, 43% said they were not aware that sanitary products such as tampons would cause issues in our wastewater network. An additional 41% of those said they had flushed sanitary products because there was no other disposal option provided.
“Our blockage busters repair teams were reporting to us that these products were definitely a problem,” Icon Water’s General Manager of Customer Engagement, Davina McCormick said.
“Unfortunately, Canberra continues to have blockages in wastewater pipes. Some of these impact households, while others are in Icon Water pipes, the cost of which are borne by all customers.
“The Free the Poo education campaigns are important because many of these blockages are avoidable or the impact could be significantly reduced.
“We need to respect that many people are private about their use of sanitary products, and that’s where providing safe disposal options can make a real difference.
Sanitary Products in the Spotlight
Icon Water’s education campaign coincides with debate in the Legislative Assembly around the provision of free sanitary products across the ACT.
“With an emerging public discussion around sanitary products, we’d really like to see the safe disposal of those products included.
“Our research revealed that the most commonly disposed items were tampons (72%) followed by pads (17%). A reduction in blockages caused by these products, as well as wet wipes, will benefit all Canberrans,” Ms McCormick said.
Statement Ends
For further information, please call Icon Water’s faults and emergencies line on 02 6248 3111. For updates, please go to iconwater.com.au/mediareleases or twitter.com/iconwater.