Wipes remain unflushable, says CHOICE

Kimberly-Clark has introduced its ‘new and improved’ Kleenex Flushable Wipes, reformulating the product to break down faster than the old wipes — but CHOICE is still dissatisfied with the product.

“Kleenex seems to have an obsession with trying to convince people to flush these products, when the fact is they can clog up your pipes and be rough on your wallet,” said CHOICE Head of Media Tom Godfrey.

The consumer group awarded Kimberly-Clark a Shonky Award in 2015 for claiming its Kids Cottonelle Flushable Cleansing Cloths disintegrated like toilet paper. According to Godfrey, “Our tests last year found that after hours of testing the wipes held together, while toilet paper dissolves in a few minutes.

“Although the new wipes disintegrated more than the old wipes, they didn’t break down fast enough and we believe they pose a blockage threat particularly in the first several metres of pipe on the consumer’s property,” he continued.

Sydney Water has been similarly critical of both the new and old wipes and is asking Australians to remember the three Ps — the only things that you should flush down your toilet are pee, poo and paper (toilet paper).

However, the utility has acknowledged Kimberly-Clark’s commitment to labelling products which should not be flushed, such as facial wipes, baby wipes and cleaning tissues, with a distinctive ‘do not flush’ symbol (pictured). Kimberly-Clark has also recommended flushing “a maximum of two wipes at a time” and says they are “only suitable for use in properly maintained sewerage systems and commercial septic systems”.

Sydney Water now calls on the rest of the wipes manufacturing and retail industry to commit to developing clearer packaging guidelines and to either remove the term ‘flushable’ from the packaging and marketing of all flushable wipes products or to create a wipe that breaks down in the same manner as toilet paper.

CHOICE has filed a submission with the ACCC about the marketing of flushable wipes and Sydney Water is assisting the ACCC in its investigations on behalf of all water utilities in Australian and their customers. When the ACCC has completed the investigation, the findings will be released.