Be sustainable: Flush the 3 Ps only, please!
MSUM has had at least nine sewage backups across campus in the past year, including last week, which required an emergency closing of Lommen Hall on Monday. We experienced another minor backup in Murray Commons late last Friday. ‘Flushable’ wipes and paper towels in the sewer system have caused most of these backups.
As a result of the backup in Lommen Hall, the basement needs extensive cleanup and repairs. The three classrooms in the basement will be offline for several more weeks. The cost to the university for the cleanup and repairs in Lommen Hall is estimated to be about $50,000.
Flushable products and paper towels don’t break down
‘Flushable’ products like wipes or paper towels do not break down after flushing like toilet paper and remain solid while traveling through the sewer system. This causes blockages in our campus buildings, resulting in additional maintenance costs. This can also cause sanitary overflows in neighborhoods, creeks and rivers.
· Watch Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Wipes Clog Pipes video to see how unsustainable ‘flushable’ wipes are.
Be Sustainable: Flush the 3 Ps Only, Please!
As an environmentally conscious university, we ask our campus community to flush only the three Ps down the toilet: pee, poo, and (toilet) paper. Put items like ‘flushable’ wipes, paper towels, tampons, Q-tips, and tissue in the trash receptacles in the restrooms.
Please remember to be sustainable, Dragons!