Exectuive director of the Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA) Lara Wyss provied an update on her association's efforts to provide consumer education on flushability.

Among RFA's efforts is a nationa consumer survey, conducted annually. The most recent survey revealsthat indicators like knowledge of what should and should not be flushed and recognition of Do Not Flush labeling continue to move in the right direction, showing that more consumers are understanding the difference between flushable and non-flushable wipes.

Other RFA efforts include a four-day collection study of samples at two sewage sites, both in California, which revealed that items non-flushable items like baby wipes, paper towels and feminine care items were largely to blame for sewage clogs while no flushable wipes were found intact (out of 1745 samples). 

"The only things not fully intact were the flushable wipes," she says. "The few that were found were in the process of disintegration and attached to othern non-flushable items."

Additionally, RFA efforts advocating for flushable wipes and offering consumers the tools to distinguish between flushable and non-flushable wipes continue. 

"To the consumer, a wipe is a wipe is wipe," Wyss adds. "We need to explain the key differences between flushable and non-flushable."

At WOW, RFA presented a "Singing Toilet" to showcase its education efforts surrounding the proper disposal of wipes and other disposable products.