LIMERICK students joined others from across the Mid West region for a day of toilet talk at the Savoy Hotel.
But Coláiste Chiraían and Mungret Community College pupils weren’t dishing the dirt on their teachers, they were joining with Uisce Éireann and Clean Coasts Ireland to encourage people to think before flushing.
The young pupils are part of the Green Schools Water Ambassador programme and are involved in actions in their local area like litter picks, promoting re-usable items and recycling, assessing water quality, creating ponds, and more.
The ‘Think Before You Flush’ campaign emphasises the importance of appropriate flushing behaviour and disposal of items including wipes and other sanitary products in the bin, even if they are labelled as flushable.
Only the ‘Three Ps’ (pee, poo, and paper) should be flushed down the toilet, the students learned. When items such as wet wipes are flushed down the toilet, they can cause serious blockages in sewage systems, causing sewage overflows, and ultimately polluting coastal waters and beaches.
Ollie O’Flaherty from Clean Coasts spoke to the students about the importance of only flushing the Three P’s down the toilet. He also discussed the Think Before You Pour campaign, which looks at the issue of pouring fats, oils, and greases (FOGs) from cooking down the kitchen sink.
Instead of flowing freely, FOGs cool and harden as they travel along the wastewater network, causing ‘fatbergs’ when they combine with sewage related litter such as wipes, hair and dental floss.
