It's a message you've likely heard since elementary school — if it doesn't belong in the toilet, don't flush it.
But, it appears some Port Coquitlam residents have forgotten that little talk.
In a release, the city says it's seen a recent spike in sewer blockage calls, stating public works crews found items that have caused significant build-ups in pipes and other related infrastructure that shouldn't have gone down the drain in the first place.
The result is forcing officials to reiterate that there are only three things that should be flushed: pee, poo and (toilet) paper — aka the three P's.
"What you pour down the sink or flush down the toilet can lead to blocked pipes which is a costly damage to the sewer system and can create service disruptions," the city adds.
"It's important to keep chemicals and other materials out of our water supply to prevent clogs and odours in the drains and sewers."
Some of the items local crews have found in recent years range from grease and cooking oils to tampons, condoms and lots of hair.
But a popular item found from toilet flushes is wipes, which the city says, unlike toilet paper, they don't break as easily.
This includes "flushable" or "biodegradable" baby wipes, personal hygiene wipes and cleaning wipes, and are encouraged to be put in the garbage instead.
When it comes to sink drains, especially in the kitchen, Port Coquitlam stresses residents to resist the temptation of pouring fats and oils as they can cool, harden and stick to the inside.
Blocked and built-up pipes are the potential result, and could have greater impacts on your property, the city explains.
It's recommended that you cool and scrape your cooking grease before placing it into your green collection cart.
The City of Port Coquitlam says there's been recent spikes in service-disruption calls
For more information, you can visit the City of Port Coquitlam or Metro Vancouver websites.
