Media release published: 22 October 2025

Wipes clog pipes. That’s the take-home message from Eurobodalla Council’s manager of sewer and water Sarah Lunau.

“No matter what the advertising says, those so-called flushable wipes do not break down like toilet paper. Instead, they get caught up in pipes and equipment, combining with fats and oils to create massive blockages know as fatbergs,” Ms Lunau says.

Fatbergs have been in the news. Pictures of the 250-metre wet-wipe island on London’s Thames River went viral and, more recently, headlines featured the 100 tonne fatberg removed from the sewers of London that took Thames Water more than a month to remove. Ms Lunau says a similar thing, on a smaller scale, is happening in Eurobodalla.

“Fatbergs are hazardous for our crews, and they’re unpleasant, expensive and time consuming to clean up. We’d rather spend that money and effort on providing better service than cleaning up avoidable mess,” she says.

“Just last week we removed four metres of clogging wet wipes from a pipe at Narooma, despite the sewer being cleared just a few weeks before. This time, fortunately, the impact on Wagonga Inlet was minimal but the peer-reviewed research tells us these so-called biodegradable products to not break down in real-life conditions and there is potential for disaster.

“I urge people to think before they flush. The only things that should go down the loo are pee, poo and toilet paper. If you must use wet wipes, please don’t flush them but put them in your red bin for disposal.”

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