They became almost essential during the coronavirus epidemic. And yet their use poses a problem. Disinfectant wipes, which are passed everywhere on our objects and surfaces, accumulate in our pipes, denounces the Water Information Center in a press release released last weekend.
“Across France, water professionals are raising this same cry of alarm: At the moment, almost three-quarters of our field work concerns the unblocking of wastewater pipes, because of the wipes! “ , Worries the organization.
In Lisieux (Calvados), Arcachon (Gironde), Arras (Pas-de-Calais), Lyon (Rhône), as well as in the Paris region, municipalities and water management services keep alerting the public to growing concerns blocked pipes. "This requires the intervention of our agents while we limit their tasks to essential activities", already deplored Maximilien Pellegrini, Deputy Managing Director Eau France de Suez, in our columns.
🗑❓ Wondering where to throw your masks, handkerchiefs, wipes and gloves?
There too, there are good gestures to respect for everyone to protect themselves.
It's here ⤵️ # covid_19 pic.twitter.com/qLeWkm0w99
As with disposable handkerchiefs and gloves, wipes should be thrown in the trash. To avoid risks of transmission of the coronavirus, more precautions must be taken than in normal times, according to the Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition.
"This waste must be thrown into a dedicated trash bag, resistant and with a functional closure system," details a statement relayed by Secretary of State Brune Poirson. After having been kept for 24 hours, this bag must imperatively be thrown in the household refuse bin, and not in the recyclable waste bin.
Alternatives to wipes can have the same effect, such as using washable fabrics soaked in cleaning products in some cases. But Alexandre Piton, the director of the industrial pole of the Mixed Syndicate of Besançon and its region for waste treatment (SYBERT), himself admits to France 3: "Between hygiene and the environment today, You must make a choice. It is difficult to find a reusable equivalent. "