Wet wipe manufacturers issue new guidelines

An update to 'flushability' guidelines has been issued by two global 'non-woven fabric' associations, representing manufacturers of products such as wet wipes. The Guidelines, first developed in 2008 and last updated in 2009, define what can be flushed into the sewerage system.

A universal 'Do Not Flush' symbol for products not meeting the Guidelines has also been introduced

The new third edition of the Guidance Document for Assessing Flushability of Nonwoven Disposable Products streamlines and improves on the previous two editions by adopting a straight line approach to the assessment of a product. This approach requires a yes / no answer to each of the technical questions that need to be answered in the affirmative to establish flushability, eliminating some of the ambiguity in previous editions.

The associations say that the third edition also now directly addresses an additional wastewater infrastructure concern with the inclusion of a municipal sewage pump test and disintegration test.

The two associations have gathered feedback from stakeholders, including wastewater authorities, and industry, which have led to the changes in the current edition, and an updated Code of Practice with enhanced labeling requirements for products that do not meet the guidelines. The number of tests in the technical assessment been reduced from 23 to seven core tests.

“Over the last few years, the work undertaken by our two associations has resulted in a simpler, easy-to-follow assessment to determine if a product is flushable or not,” said Dave Rousse, INDA president. “We are taking a more rigorous approach where products must pass all seven tests to be labeled as flushable.”

Pierre Wiertz, general manager, EDANA, said: “The third edition addresses two important concerns raised by wastewater operators with the addition of a Municipal Sewage Pump Test and a Disintegration Test. It also includes an updated Code of Practice in which for the first time, includes minimum size requirements for the Do Not Flush symbol.”

Dave Rousse added: “For those companies who are not using the Guidelines and Code of Practice today, we strongly encourage them to get on board. Adopting the Guidelines and Code of Practice is the right thing to do for our environment and will benefit local communities as well.”

Wiertz said: “Because this new edition is simpler to use, less costly and easier to implement compared to previous versions, we are confident more and more companies globally will embrace the Guidelines and Code of Practice. In doing so, we can best deliver our part of the solution towards reducing non-flushable material in the wastewater stream, educate consumers and thwart potentially harmful legislation.”

Click here to download the new guidelines.