What Not to Flush – Keep Your Septic System Functioning Properly

When waste enters your septic tank, heavier materials sink to the bottom, liquid effluent fills up the middle of the tank area, and floating materials stay toward the top. When a septic system is working correctly, the liquid effluent material exits the tank and is distributed through the soil adsorption field or leach bed, where it sinks into the ground and is treated by microbes in the soil.  When the system becomes clogged by those more bulky items that can’t be broken down, the effluent can’t properly exit the tank, or the soil adsorption field can get clogged. This can result in waste backing up into the home or failure of the effluent to be treated properly. Septic system failure can contaminate groundwater and surface water and lead to costly repairs for the homeowner.

Only human waste and toilet paper should be flushed down the toilet. Septic tanks also need to be pumped on a regular basis to remove the heavy sludge layer from the bottom of the tank and keep them working properly. Septic tank additives and boosters should not be used as an alternative to regular pumping.

Things that should Not be flushed:

• Facial tissues
• Baby wipes, disinfectant wipes, moist wipes – even those listed as "flushable" on their packaging
• Toilet bowl scrub pads
• Mopping cloths
• Hazardous chemicals
• Napkins (paper or cloth)
• Paper towels
• Dental floss
• Cigarette butts
• Egg shells, nutshells, and coffee grounds
• Leftover foods
• Fats, oils, and greases
• Hair
• Sanitary napkins, tampons
• Band-aids
• Vitamins, medicines, or other pharmaceuticals
• Plastics of any kind
• Diapers
• Aquatic pets

For more information about maintaining septic systems, please visit our factsheet on Managing your on-lot septic system.