(Source: MIRS.news, Published 06/08/23) The disposable wipes in your bathroom or kitchen don’t seem that threatening when sitting on the counter, but Rep. Denise Mentzer (D-Mount Clemens) said they can pose a much bigger problem when stuck in Michigan’s sewers.
Mentzer testified before the House Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee on Thursday, where she spoke about the “costly threat that disposable wipes pose to our infrastructure.”
Mentzer said these wipes are often mistaken as flushable by consumers when they aren’t clearly labeled otherwise. But unlike toilet paper, they don’t dissolve in the sewer system.
Instead, she said some wipes remain close to 90% intact when flushed, and those remnants can build up in pipes and sewer systems, slow the efficiency of pumps and increase the risk of backups into homes. At the same time, microplastics from the partially dissolved wipes make their way through the system and back into the environment.
Mentzer shared a letter from Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller that explained the issues disposable wipes are causing within wastewater infrastructure.
In the letter, which she shared with MIRS, Miller said the Macomb County Public Works office spent approximately $100,000 from spring 2018 to spring 2020 to remove two large masses of wipes from the sewer system, including a 19-ton mass of wipes and accumulated grease, called the Macomb County “Fatberg.”
Mentzer added that the fatberg was over six feet tall when it was discovered.
In 2019, Miller wrote that another one-ton mass of wipes, called the “Ragball” was removed.
And the buildup shows no sign of slowing, Miller added.
In 2018, approximately 70 tons of debris was removed from the Northeast Sewage Pumping Station in Detroit, which moves sanitary sewage from 23 communities in Macomb and Oakland counties.
Three years later, approximately 270 tons of debris was removed by crews from the same area, costing $450,000.
Mentzer said with more investments into infrastructure across Michigan, it’s important to protect those investments and ensure they aren’t wasted.
In response, she introduced HB 4596, which would create labeling standards for disposable wipe products.
Under Mentzer’s bill, disposable wipe manufacturers would be required to include a symbol and notice on their products that indicates they should not be flushed down a toilet.
Starting Feb. 1, 2025, the phrase “DO NOT FLUSH” would be required in a size equal to at least 2% of the packaging surface.
Mentzer said the legislation doesn’t ban the use of wipes.
She said the bill would also save taxpayers money on wastewater maintenance costs.
Rep. David Martin (R-Davison), however, expressed concern that stricter standards in Michigan without a more stringent federal policy could result in supply chain issues and issues for manufacturers.
Mentzer agreed that there should be a federal standard for disposable wipes, but in the meantime, she said Michigan can start taking action.
Pohutsky added that several other states have more strict state policies, and “Poor Johnson and Johnson hasn’t seemed to go out of business, yet.”
Wes Fisher, the director of government affairs at the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, said the association has been working with other states to pass similar legislation, including Illinois, California, Washington, Oregon and Colorado.
He said the association is supportive of working on the legislation, but added that there are several technical changes they would like to see including to align the bill with legislation in other states.
The bill was not taken up for a vote on Thursday and awaits further action in committee.
