Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Maine’s U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that their bipartisan, bicameral Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act cleared a key hurdle by passing out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The WIPPES Act would address health, ecosystem, and wastewater infrastructure concerns caused by the flushing of non-flushable wipes.
“When non-flushable wipes back up our wastewater system, it hurts our infrastructure, our environment, and our wallets,” said Merkley. “Accurately labelling wipes and other products as ‘non-flushable’ is a necessary step to help consumers appropriately dispose of their waste. The Senate Commerce Committee’s passage of our bipartisan WIPPES Act brings it one step closer to becoming law and protecting our water supply and wastewater infrastructure.”
“The Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act is a commonsense solution to help fix an issue that is causing significant damage for our plumbing and septic systems and our wastewater treatment equipment. I am glad the Senate Commerce Committee has moved so swiftly to mark up this bipartisan bill, which will help prevent consumers and taxpayers from having to pay for expensive repairs,” said Collins.
Introduced in March, the WIPPES Act addresses the pervasive, but ultimately preventable, problem of the flushing of non-flushable wet wipes by establishing “Do Not Flush” labeling requirements for products such as baby wipes, household wipes, disinfecting wipes, and personal care wipes. Many of these wipes are composed of manufactured plastic fibers or other strong fibers, and while these products are not marketed as flushable, consumers frequently flush them into sewer systems as a means of disposal. Due to strong fibers, these types of wipes do not break down as they travel through the sewer systems. Instead, the wipes become magnets attracting fats, oils, and grease that become obstructions in sewerage systems pipes. These masses clog pumps, block sewer collection systems, and jam motors, leading to sewage backups and treatment equipment failures.
The House version of the bill was led by U.S. Representatives Lisa McClain (R-MI) and Kevin Mullin (D-CA), and last month, the legislation cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The WIPPES Act is endorsed by the American Public Works Association, American Rivers, Association of Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA), Bay Area Pollution Prevention Group, California Association of Sanitation Agencies, Center for Baby and Adult Hygiene Products, Consumer Healthcare Products Association, ISSA (the Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association), National Association of Clean Water Agencies, National Rural Water Association, National Stewardship Action Council, Oak Lodge Water Services, Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies, The Coalition for Clean Water, Washington Association of Sewer & Water Districts, Water Environment Federation, and 5Gyres.
###
English 
Spanish