The city's wastewater treatment foreman has some simple advice for what and what should not be go down your toilet.
"You should only be flushing down what's coming out of you, quite frankly," Tyer Olsen said Tuesday during a media event to promote the B.C. Water and Waste Association's water week.
"You shouldn't be flushing food, you shouldn't be flushing anything really."
Olsen oversees a crew who is responsible for 31 lift stations, six lagoons and a wastewater treatment plant. They can be called out at any time of the day or night to deal with a blockage.
Perhaps the biggest bane of their existence are flushable wipes although hair and plastic can also cause trouble.
"A lot of our actual callouts are plugs of actual pumps," Olsen said. "We end up having to call out people on double time to go clear those flushable wipes they're advertising. They're not a good thing, that's for sure - use them and put them in the waste basket."
