Gillian Keller
A CAMPAIGN titled ‘Don’t Feed the Monster’ has spread across Mallorca, aiming to prevent wipes from being flushed down toilets and washed up on shores.
Baby and toilet wipes are meant to be binned, but countless have been clogging sewers and treatment plants. This eventually leads to the waste washing up on rocky areas.
Water firm Emaya spends an extra €250,000 a year on clearing wipes from the sewers and unclogging blockages.
Local councils and groups also make efforts to clean wipes out of sewer systems and off beaches.
The public company Calvia 2000 spent well over €300,000 last year unblocking sanitation systems, removing 851 tons of solid waste.
Part of the campaign reminds citizens that even biodegradable wipes should not be flushed, as they do not have time to break down before they cause serious problems and pollution.
They should be added to compost piles or thrown in the bin. There are now fines from €700 to €3,000 for offences including clogging systems with wipes.
