SEWER AND PUMP STATION

Date: January 26, 2022

To:       Resident of Lawnside New Jersey

From:   Department of Public Works

Re:       Lateral Sewer Lines

Dear Resident,

We are requesting your help to eliminate costly repairs to the Borough’s Sewer and Pump Stations. During the last couple of months, the Sewer Department noticed an increase in rags, power towels, hand towels and grease clogging the Sewer Lines and Pump Stations. The products found are not flushable, and that affects the sewer line and Pump Stations. Attached are a list of products that should not be flushed.

Should you have any questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact Rafiq Golphin, Supervisor of Public Works. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Rafiq Golphin

DPW/ Sewer Dept. Supervisor

SCROLL DOWN FOR A LIST OF ITEMS THAT SHOULD NOT BE FLUSHED

Here is a list of commonly flushed items that should NOT be flushed:

Diapers - cloth, disposable, "flushable"

Facial tissues

Baby wipes, disinfectant wipes, moist wipes, etc.

Toilet bowl scrub pads

Swiffer’s

Napkins - paper or cloth, paper towels

Dental floss

Egg shells, nutshells and coffee grounds

Fats, oils, and greases

Chewing gum

Cigarette butts

Food items containing seeds and peelings

Hair 

Sanitary napkins, tampons, condoms or any non-organic material

Vitamins, medicines or other pharmaceuticals

Wash cloths, towels, rags (any cloth item)

Clothing

Sheet plastic or plastic of any kind

Household hazardous wastes like paint, chemicals or solvents - instead dispose of these properly at one of the City's Collection Events

Dead pets (small animals like goldfish, and gerbils are found in sewer systems), consider a proper burial 

Why not wet wipes?

Just because the package says "flushable" doesn't mean it's true. Many items marketed as disposable and/or flushable do not degrade like toilet paper, and they could wind up clogging pipes, tangling pumps and causing messy sewer backups into streets, businesses and homes.

Our sewers are designed to dispose of very specific things. Using your toilet for disposal of many modern products can result in blockages. The drains that connect your home to the main sewer are only big enough to carry water, toilet paper and human waste. Sewer pipes are often no wider than 4 inches.

The Flushability Test

Take two bowls of water. Place toilet paper in one, and place the item in question in the other. Swish both items in the water. Wait an hour, then swish again. The toilet paper should have significantly disintegrated by then, while the other item (for example, facial tissue, wipes, napkins, etc.) will likely remain intact. Unless the item disintegrates at the rate of toilet paper, it should be placed in the garbage and not down the toilet. Otherwise, you risk a blockage in your own pipes as well as clogging a pump station and causing a sewage backup for other homes and businesses.