To flush or not to flush: Are wet wipes really as 'flushable' as they say?

To flush or not to flush - that's the contentious question over wet wipes marketed as 'flushable'.

An Australian court last week ruled in favour of a popular brand using the term - which doesn't wash with New Zealand's water industry.

Watercare Trade Waste Manager, Merle Smuts, demonstrated that wet wipes show no signs of breaking down, while toilet paper begins to disperse quickly in water.

While some wipes are advertised as 'flushable', experts argue they cause huge disruptions in our waterways.

"They tend to bind together with other non-flushable materials like oil and fat and create fatbergs," says Water New Zealand's Technical Manager, Noel Roberts.

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