Last month Colorado joined California, Washington, Oregon, and Illinois in enacting a law regarding the proper labelling of non-flushable wet wipes. The Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA), a consumer education nonprofit dedicated to promoting smart flushing practices, officially launched its #FlushSmart campaign last year to bring awareness to the 'Do Not Flush' symbol, its meaning, and significance to the health of homes and communities.

“We are pleased to support this legislation, as proper labelling is essential in educating consumers about disposal practices,” said Lara Wyss, president of the Responsible Flushing Alliance. “Consumers are largely aware of the ‘Do Not Flush’ symbol but many still claim to have flushed something non-flushable in the past year. When the wrong things are flushed, it can cause massive problems in the form of clogs in home plumbing and in municipal sewer systems, costing hundreds to millions of dollars to repair.”

By December 31, non-flushable wet wipes sold in Colorado, including baby wipes, bathroom cleaning wipes, disinfecting and antibacterial wipes, facial cleansing wipes, and other non-flushable wipes commonly used in a bathroom, must have the 'Do Not Flush' symbol prominently displayed on the packaging.

"RFA made an impressive splash in 2022 as a first-of-its-kind #FlushSmart consumer education efforts,” added Wyss. “And on July 1, the second annual Flush Smart Day, we will launch more consumer-targeted content with a surprising twist using our frenemy character Clog Monster. Our goal is to ensure everyone looks for the ‘Do Not Flush’ symbol on wipes packaging.”

RFA first launched its #FlushSmart campaign in 2022 to spread awareness of the “Do Not Flush” symbol as it swept across wipes packaging. Having reached millions of social media users across Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, RFA is initiating new strategies in 2023 to reach even more consumers to help prevent problems caused by flushing non-flushable products down the toilet.