A study that suggests Albertans might be leading the nation when it comes to flushing inappropriate items down the toilet means we aren't taking the value of our water seriously, according to an international expert.
Ipsos-Reid released the fourth annual Canadian Water Attitudes Survey on March 21to coincide with World Water Day on March 22. The survey was backed by the United Nations, commissioned by the Royal Bank of Canada and is accurate to within two percentage points 19 times out of 20.
The survey of 2,066 Canadians found that 72 per cent of them said they flushed items such as hair, food, dental floss, condoms and even dead mice down the toilet. Albertans were the most likely to admit to the deed at 83 per cent, with people under 34 more likely to admit it than those over 55.
This shows that Canadians aren't making the connection between their personal water use and the value of water, says Bob Sandford, the Epcor chair of the Canadian Partnership Initiative for the UN Water for Life Decade. "Canadians are using their toilets as garbage cans."
Think before you flush
About 45 per cent of a home's freshwater use goes towards flushing, according to the survey, with each toilet using six to 20 litres per flush.
Operations supervisor Dwayne Cikaluk is well aware of what goes down those toilets — he and his staff have to pick it out of our wastewater at the Alberta Capital Region Wastewater Commission's treatment plant. "Lady products, that's what we see all the time."
Food, plastic and sanitary napkins all have to be screened out of the wastewater and shipped to the landfill, he said. "We get a lot of hair."
Plastic is the worst, as it often slips through the screens to clog their pumps. All this takes considerable water and energy, said city environmental manager Leah Jackson, and puts strain on the water system. Food waste, such as grease, can also clog your pipes. "The [treatment] plants are made to handle certain kinds of materials. They're not made to handle dead rodents."
It costs more money to put garbage down the toilet than it does to put it in the bin, Jackson says. "Our cost for utility bills will keep going up if we don't change."
Napkins, food and feminine hygiene products belong in the trash or compost pile, Cikaluk says, not the toilet. "You shouldn't be flushing any heavy material [except for] toilet paper."
Respect for water doesn't require wholesale change in your life, Sandford says. "Don't use your toilet as a garbage can," he suggests and don't leave the tap running.
Canadians use about 329 litres of water a day, according to the survey, compared to about 280 for St. Albert residents. The survey can be found at www.ipsos-na.com.
