INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, is hosting the annual World of Wipes (WOW) conference this week at the InterContinental Buckhead in Atlanta, GA, where industry experts will explore in-depth the problems caused by flushing moist wipes and proposed legislation to eliminate clogs from municipal sewer systems.
 
A special session at 8 a.m. tomorrow will bring together four experts from diverse professional backgrounds to offer unique perspectives on wipe “flushability,” a topic of recent debate in city halls, state legislatures and newspapers across the country and abroad. Moderated by Jan O’Regan, director of strategic initiatives at Cotton Incorporated, the “Flushable Update” session and presenters will address questions such as, “why are wipes clogging sewers?”; “what is the difference between wipes engineered to be flushed and those that are not?”; and “how are manufacturers, cities and regulators here and abroad helping?”
 
“This conference represents an important opportunity for the manufacturers, wastewater operators and community leaders gathered here to highlight how we’ve been working to educate consumers about what ‘flush friendly’ really means,” says Dave Rousse, president of INDA. “We all agree the problem is that over 90% of items flushed are not designed to be flushed, but all of us seated around the table here in Atlanta are committed to collaborating with stakeholders across the board, and continuously improving industry standards and raising awareness about flush friendly products and practices.”
 
Rousse will represent the nonwovens industry point of view on flushability and proposed U.S. state and city legislation when he kicks off the session with a presentation entitled, “Flushability: The Many Moving Pieces and How They Fit Together. “ Rob Villee, executive director of the Plainfield Area Regional Sewerage Authority, will offer a municipal wastewater operator perspective on the joint activities with the manufacturers and INDA in strengthening flushability standards. Michael Paschka, PE, engineer at Procter & Gamble, will discuss an ISO Flushability Standard effort and Abby Bailey, marketing and communications director of EDANA will also discuss the European regulatory landscape on this important and shared issue.