Products that have been designated as "flushable" by the manufacturer are wreaking havoc on London's sewer system.
The city is hosting a full day workshop on Tuesday at the library's central branch to define exactly what is flushable. Meanwhile, a committee is working to develop international standards for flushable products.
In Canada alone, it is estimated that cities spend about $250-million each year repairing waste water systems.
"We get problems with oil and grease, some of the things that are issues for us are wipes, even the ones that say flushable. The definition for flushables is driven by the manufacturers," says London's Environmental Services Engineer Tony Van Rossum. "They don't meet the municipality's needs."
Van Rossum tells BlackburnNews.com London spends about $500,000 each year on sewer repairs.
He says to prevent this, Londoners can avoid putting things like dental floss, certain papers and cotton swabs in the toilet.
The "toilets are not garbage cans" workshop starts at 8:30am on Tuesday morning.