What’s clogging your loo? The bizarre items Brits attempt to flush down the toilet, that could be costing the UK tens of millions

Dead pigeons, wedding rings, and a doll’s head are among the items Brits are flushing down the toilet, according to new research.

The findings were gathered from first-hand reports from expert technicians at Initial Washroom Hygiene and Rentokil Specialist Hygiene, demonstrating a potential knowledge gap about what can and can’t be safely flushed down the toilet.  Other strange items discovered in toilet bowls included shoes, sandwiches, coat hangers, vapes, and even fruits wrapped in condoms.

Despite sewer blockages costing UK water companies around £100 million every year, additional research of over 2,000 consumers commissioned by Initial Washroom Hygiene found that the majority (60%) admit to flushing items they shouldn’t down the toilet. Dead animals are surprisingly common – nearly one in seven (14%) admit to previously flushing a deceased pet fish, a number which jumps to 1 in 5 of those surveyed in Scotland (21%).

Chewing gum is also a big issue with twice as many men admitting to flushing it (15%) than women (7%). More than one in eight (13%) think flushing condoms isn’t a problem, and one in ten (10%) think that it is fine to flush away oil, fat, or grease, a major cause of the fatbergs that block UK drains.

While it may be obvious to some people what can and can’t be flushed, many UK adults think it is perfectly fine to flush a variety of household items away, that could risk clogging sewage systems, including food wrappers (10%), used beauty products (11%) and nappies (9%).

A further 10% admit to flushing wipes down the toilet, a major cause of sewer blockages that can damage properties, flood roads, and cost £200 million a year. The ‘Fine to Flush’ certification is being dropped in 2024, as billions of wet wipes end up clogging Britain’s waterways and contribute to fatbergs that have become commonplace in London’s sewers. However, 16% of Londoners do flush these, with almost a third (28%) believing they can do so safely; well above the national average of 11%.

When it comes to period products, nearly a quarter (24%) of female respondents admitted to flushing tampons down the toilet, and a further 7% to flushing sanitary pads. Worryingly, Gen Zers are more likely to believe sanitary pads are fine to flush (37% vs the national average of 15%).

Jamie Woodhall, Initial Washroom Hygiene, commented, “It’s been eye-opening to discover people’s toilet flushing habits. In the UK we should not be flushing anything down the loo that isn’t toilet paper, pee, or poo. The result of people not abiding by this rule can be expensive; not just in terms of the cost of unblocking pipes and clearing up any resulting escape of sewage, but also in terms of the overall cost of water treatment.

“To help ensure that inappropriate items are not flushed down the toilet,  business washroom and facilities managers should take responsibility for ensuring that appropriate waste bins are provided, including ones for the disposal of sanitary waste located ideally within the toilet cubicle – i.e. at the point of need.”

Alongside asking about items found in a toilet, frontline colleagues were also asked to reveal any unusual sights that they had ever encountered in the washrooms they had visited.