Pental Limited and Pental Products Pty. Ltd., the parent company of White King, has been fined $700,000 for misleading advertising surrounding “flushable” toilet and bathroom cleaning wipes put out by the subsidiary.
The advertising that accompanied the toilet and bathroom cleaning wipes claimed that the material would disintegrate in the sewage system “just like toilet paper.” However, the ruling made by the Australian federal government declares that this rhetoric was untrue.
“These White King wipes can’t be flushed down the toilet, and Australian wastewater authorities face significant problems if they are because they can cause blockages in household and municipal sewerage systems,” said ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court.
According to Jackson Vernon, spokesman for Sydney Water, blockages resulting from these wipes and their ilk have been plaguing sewage systems for several years in Australia.
“It’s costing the community millions of dollars every year to deal with the blockages these products cause in the wastewater system,” Vernon said.
Furthermore, Queensland Urban Utilities spokeswoman Michelle Cull claimed that the city removes approximately 160 tons of wipes from the sewer system each year.
“We spend around $1.5 million (AUD) a year clearing blockages from our sewer pipes and wet wipes are a big contributing factor.”
The action taken by the government stemmed from a complaint presented by the consumer advocacy group Choice. This event has also spurred further advocacy from Sydney Water, calling on all other wipe manufacturers to be clear that their products are not safe to flush.
“The international water industry has collectively committed to a position statement that all wipes and personal hygiene products should be clearly marked ‘do not flush’ and be disposed of in the bin,” Vernon said. “This position statement is supported by over 300 utilities and non-government organizations from 23 countries.”