Western Treatment Plant Explorer : Teacher Resources : Resource 16
Resource 16
Treat it well ¹
Are you and your family poisoning the environment and costing us hundreds of thousands of dollars?
People put things down their toilets that they should not. The most common of these are sanitary napkins, tampons, condoms, nappies, plastic-stemmed cotton buds, used cooking oils and household chemicals.
Melbourne Water has had to spend many millions of dollars at their treatment plant because of the extra plastic refuse people are putting down the sewer. Screens have been installed to filter out all refuse bigger than a piece of rice, which means a lot less rubbish goes out into the environment.
Despite the upgrade of the plant, the sewage pipes still need a lot of cleaning because the plastic bits and pieces turn into snowballs of waste that grow as they move down the pipes. They would eventually cause a blockage if they were not removed.
Are you disposing of your household wastes appropriately?
To findout more about what not to put down the toilet visite Melbourne Water's website at: www.melbournewater.com.au
Questions
- What do engineers mean by 'screens'? Why do you think they use that word? Has it got any other meanings that are similar?
- Use the 'Disposal of household wastes chart' to decide how you would dispose of the items in the above pictures.
- For each item, explain why it is dangerous to get rid of them in the way the pictures show?
- Your teacher will give you a copy of the chart which you can take home to use there and to show your parents.
| Disposal of Household Wastes Chart | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Item |
 Safe for Sewer (in small quantities) |
 Tip |
 Chemical collection |
 Recycle |
| Insect sprays |  |
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| Drain cleaners | |
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| Oven cleaners | |
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| Medicines | |
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| Nail polish remover | |
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| Tea leaves, coffee grounds | |
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| Oil-based paints, turpentine | |
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| Fertilisers | |
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| Weedkillers, insecticides | |
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| Cooking oils and fats | |
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| Mercury batteries | |
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| Swimming pool chemicals | |
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| Milk | |
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| Cotton buds | |
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| Sanitary napkins, tampons, condoms | |
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| Disposable nappies | |
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¹ Based on an activity from: Keith McTaggart and Paul Saddler 1993, Flushing Dunnies, Melbourne Water and Science Teachers Association of Victoria.