Thousands of used sanitary and bathroom products are flushed down the toilet every day.  These items can cause blockages, meaning this type of waste ends up polluting our marine environment.

Wastewater systems are not designed to deal with large amounts of sanitary waste, and smaller items in particular (e.g. cotton buds), can escape through filters and reach our rivers and beaches.

The “Think Before You Flush” campaign is operated by An Taisce’s Clean Coasts programme and is supported by Irish Water and the local authorities.

The items below should never be flushed down the toilet as they cause problems in our homes, the wastewater treatment network and the environment.