Blockage hotspots in Moreton Bay

Above: The result of wet wipes, oils, fats, paper towels and other items on Unitywater's network.

Five Moreton Bay suburbs are in the Unitywater’s latest top 10 blockage hotspots in the wastewater network.

Redcliffe, Clontarf, Caboolture, Narangba and Deception Bay are all on the 2024-25 list, leading to a plea for residents to be mindful what they flush and rinse.

Top 10 blockage suburbs 2024/25 - Buderim 237, Caboolture 134, Nambour 105, Redcliffe 92, Maroochydore 92, Clontarf 90, Tewantin 90, Narangba 89, Deception Bay 82, Noosaville. 73 

Collectively, the top 10 suburbs account for almost a quarter of the 4395 known wastewater blockages across Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Noosa over those 12 months.

Unitywater Executive Manager Customer Delivery, Rhett Duncan, said ‘unflushables’ such as paper towels, wet wipes, cotton tips, tissues, tampons and nappies were the key contributors.

“The only things that are okay to flush down the toilet are pee, poo and toilet paper,” Mr Duncan said.

“Toilet paper is manufactured to breakdown in water within 30 seconds, unlike tissues and paper towel which are marketed for strength, or wet wipes which often contain plastics.

“These unflushables can combine with fats and oils to create large lumps that block the pipes under your house, wastewater pipes under your street or clog pumps which push wastewater to a treatment plant.

“When there’s a blockage in the pipe, the next flush could cause it to come back up through your bathroom floor drains in a big smelly mess - and no one wants to have to clean that up.

“Think before you flush and keep a small bin next to the toilet to make it easy to put rubbish in the right place.”

Mr Duncan said it was important to stop fats and food scraps being rinsed down kitchen sinks.

“Oil from the fry pan will cool, harden and line your pipes, catching those food scraps and coffee grinds until the pipes get blocked,” he said.

“Pre-wipe pots and pans with paper towel before doing the washing up and keep a jar under the sink to collect larger amounts of used cooking oil and put it in the bin once its full.

“Use a sink strainer to redirect vegie scraps, coffee grinds and egg shells, which are great in a compost or green waste bin, along with expired milk which can be put on garden beds.”

For further information visit www.unitywater.com/creatures