What not to flush

You may think you can flush just about anything down the toilet, so long as it doesn’t clog the bowl. But did you know the City of Vaughan’s sanitary sewer system is not designed to dispose of anything beyond human waste, toilet paper and wastewater? Flushing other materials down your drains can cause damage or plumbing blockages, which can be costly to clean and repair.

Here are some reminders for what items not to flush and where to dispose of them instead.

Hygiene products

Feminine products, wipes, tissues and paper towels cannot be flushed. Place feminine products, tissues and paper towels in the green bin. All wipes – even ones labelled “flushable” – cannot be broken down and, therefore, must go in the garbage.

Household hazardous waste

Household hazardous waste consists of corrosive, flammable, explosive or poisonous items. Examples include paint, many cleaning products and chemicals. These substances cannot go down household drains or catch basins and are not collected curbside. Drop them off at a York Region waste depot for safe disposal.

Fats, oils and grease

If you’re cooking with fats, oils and grease, remember these materials can clog sewer pipes if disposed of down the drain. Fats, oils and grease should never be poured down sinks or toilets. Instead, leave these substances in the pan to cool, or pour them into a container to cool, then empty them into the green bin. Before washing pots, pans and dirty dishes, wait for the fats, oils and grease to harden. Then, wipe the product with a paper towel or scrape it into the green bin.

You can also take cooking oil in a tightly sealed container, no more than four litres, to a York Region waste depot for disposal.

Other materials

For help safely disposing of other materials, use the City’s online ‘What Goes Where?’ sorting tool so you can quickly check where a waste item belongs. You can also download the Recycle Coach app through the Apple App Store or Google Play to check what goes where. The app provides waste-less tips and a personalized collection schedule with optional alerts on what to put to the curb each week. To learn more about the City’s waste services, visit vaughan.ca/waste.

For more information on the City’s sanitary sewer system, visit vaughan.ca/wastewater.

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