Washington, D.C. - Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Angus King (I-ME) introduced a bipartisan bill to address health, ecosystem, and wastewater infrastructure concerns caused by the flushing of non-flushable wet wipes. The Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act would direct the Federal Trade Commission, in consultation with other relevant federal agencies, to issue regulations on "Do Not Flush" labeling requirements for covered products, such as baby wipes, household wipes, disinfecting wipes, or personal care wipes.

“Many consumers who use wet wipes are unaware that flushing these products creates significant problems for plumbing, wastewater treatment equipment, and septic systems,” said Senator Collins. “This legislation would require manufactures to label non-flushable wet wipes, providing consumers with the information they need to safely dispose of them.  I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation that will help prevent homeowners and taxpayers from having to pay for expensive repairs.”

“When wastewater systems fail, it can cause massive damage to infrastructure, harm fragile ecosystems, and force expensive repairs on towns and homeowners,” said Senator King. “Helping to clearly define non-flushable items is a commonsense step to protect our critical wastewater infrastructure and prevent avoidable damage. I appreciate Senator Collins and Merkley’s leadership on this issue and look forward to working with them to get the bill passed.”

“Communities across the country have experienced hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure damage and environmental impacts because of improperly disposed wipes,” said Emily Cole-Prescott, Vice President, Maine Water environment Association (MeWEA). “Supporting the WIPPES Act is imperative to the social, environmental, and economic health of our towns and cities.”

“In these times of limited candidates to fill operator positions, anything we can do to cut down on staff time and overtime will be a huge help,” said Howard Carter, Director, Saco Water Resource Recovery Department. “Without diligent attention to detail and oversite of the entire sewer system and pumping stations such clogs can quickly become Sanitary Sewer Overflows endangering public health and the environment.”

"We have been dealing with the negative impacts of disposable wipes being flushed into our sewers and treatment plants for over a decade,” said Scott Firmin, Director of Wastewater Services for the Portland Water District. “We hosted some of the first work to quantify the type of material that was being flushed and how it affects sewer systems. It has largely been left to manufacturers to responsibly label products, but there just has not been a consistent or effective response.  To see this legislation after all this effort is gratifying, and we are excited that a clear labeling standard will be applied to these materials. We applaud Senator Collins and Senator Merkley and Representative McClain and Representative Peltola for advancing such an important piece of legislation.”

Specifically, the WIPPES Act:

• Directs the Federal Trade Commission, in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission,  to issue regulations on “Do Not Flush” labeling requirements for the covered products defined in the bill, which includes baby wipes, household wipes, disinfecting wipes or personal care wipes.

Bill text can be found HERE.