Honey I blocked the pipe!

Scottish water presents a ‘Smellovision’ experience -Honey I blocked the pipe.

(Don’t worry, you won’t actually smell anything).

Have you ever wondered what happens to wet wipes once they are flushed down the toilet?

As part of our Nature Calls campaign, we have developed an interactive experience that allows people to see the impact that flushing wet wipes has on the sewer system.

Flushing wipes continue to be one of the biggest problems we face.

Understandably, it is confusing for people, with some wipes claiming to be ‘flushable’ or ‘biodegradable’ but many still contain plastic or other materials that don’t break down causing chokes and sewer blockages – wipes account for 80% of the over 36,000 blockages that we attend to annually.

Early this year customers were able to use the VR experience at the Scottish Caravan, Motorhome and Holiday home show.

“I really didn’t know something so small could have such an impact on the sewer system” one participant remarked.

The average sewer pipe is only 10cm wide, which is roughly the size of a CD – only designed to handle the 3P’s (pee, poo and paper). Unfortunately, some people flush items such as wet wipes and other plastic products that lead to blockages.

The VR experience now gives customers a unique insight into the consequences of flushing wet wipes.

Blockages are costly to Scottish Water and our customers (because we are publicly owned). We spend approximately £8,000,000 annually to fix them.

You still have the chance to take a trip down the sewer as our ‘Smellovision’ will continue to tour this summer. The VR experience will be at some of our upcoming events such as the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh from 19th-22nd June.

And remember, always bin the wipe!