Can toilet paper be flushed directly down the toilet after using it? Let me show you how

When you walk into a public toilet cubicle, you will often find a small wastebasket next to the toilet, which is filled with yellow and white things. Not only in public toilets, but also in many friends' own bathrooms, similar small wastebaskets are often prepared to hold used toilet paper. However, there are also many people who do not have such facilities in their home bathrooms. After using the toilet, they just wipe, throw and flush.

Some bathrooms don't have wastebaskets | Tuchong Creative

So the question is, who is right? Can we just throw the toilet paper directly into the toilet?

Let me first say the conclusion. In most cases, flushing toilet paper directly into the toilet will not cause serious consequences. However, there are some special cases that need attention. Why do I say that? Let's talk about it briefly below.

01

Is the small wastebasket next to the toilet useful or nostalgic?

When we think of toilet paper now, we immediately think of white, clean, hygienic and odorless rolls of toilet paper. But it was not like this in the past. A few decades ago, many people used stones of appropriate sizes, corn cobs (threshed and dried), straw, bark, leaves, newspapers, etc. Fortunately, these things that can block the toilet on the spot were standard equipment for outdoor use or dry toilets - flush toilets were still a rarity at that time.

After a while, people gradually started using yellow and relatively rough horse manure paper, followed by wrinkled toilet paper, etc. Although these papers solved the problem of having paper or not having paper, their raw materials were varied and their workmanship was relatively rough, which was still a severe test for both people's buttocks and toilets. Such a piece of paper has thick fibers and is very strong. If you throw it directly into the toilet, it is easy to clog it. If you don't put a small wastebasket specifically for used toilet paper, I'm afraid someone will have to work hard in front of the toilet with a plunger every few days.

So, in the past, the small wastebasket next to the toilet did play the role of "guarding" the toilet.

But it is not so necessary to do so now. Why do I say that?

02

Whether you can flush the toilet depends on what kind of "paper" it is.

Toilet paper, tissue paper, paper towels... Although these daily necessities all have the word "paper" in them, there are significant differences in how toilet-friendly they are.

For example, the toilet paper we often use is the default toilet standard. This kind of paper can easily turn into a pile of crumbs after being slightly stirred with water. I believe everyone has had the painful experience of forgetting to take out the toilet paper when washing clothes...

If you think about it, you will know that a few pieces of toilet paper thrown into the toilet will easily be "shattered" under the impact of the water flow, and it is certainly impossible to block it. Recall that the toilet paper we usually use most is really this type. So, in most cases now, you can throw toilet paper directly into the toilet and flush it away.

In addition, according to the national standard for toilet paper currently being implemented, GB/T 20810-2018 "Toilet Paper (including toilet paper base paper)", there is also a section on testing the dispersibility of paper.

Basically, a certain amount of paper is put into a plum blossom tube filled with 5L of water, then rotated and ventilated. The paper is qualified only if it breaks within 40 seconds. Therefore, toilet paper that meets the relevant standards can be flushed away directly without putting too much pressure on the toilet.

But other types of paper may not be suitable for toilets.

Take tissue paper and paper towels as an example. We all know that this type of paper is often thicker and more flexible. This is usually because the fibers used in this type of paper are longer and contain ingredients that can maintain strength after getting wet. Therefore, even if it is wet and used to wipe your face, it can still maintain its integrity, while if you use roll paper, you will often wipe out an annoying white paper foam. There are also some kitchen paper towels that have to remain intact when wet, not to mention that some paper towels for doing heavy work are simply chemical fiber non-woven fabrics. Throwing "paper" like this will really clog the toilet, so don't throw it directly into the toilet.

The following is a demonstration of the strength of different types of paper after being immersed in water:

Look at the strength of this toilet paper after it gets wet... If you have diarrhea, it is really necessary to put a few more layers.

If you want to flush toilet paper directly, in addition to the paper, the toilet and the pipes are also important factors. Today's flush toilets are quite powerful, and the pipes are usually thicker, so there is no problem with toilet paper. But if it is an old bathroom, the toilet may have weak flushing power, and the pipes may have become narrower and rougher due to sedimentation and corrosion. In this case, flushing directly may also have hidden dangers.

03

It's time to say goodbye to this little wastebasket

The small wastebasket next to the toilet once had its use, but now it is indeed a bit outdated.

First of all, this kind of trash can is unhygienic and smells bad. It is also easy to breed bacteria and attract flies to spread diseases. It will also be very annoying for cleaning staff to clean it.

Secondly, toilet paper thrown into the wastebasket is often incinerated or landfilled, which may increase pollution and energy consumption, while flushing it directly into the toilet is actually more environmentally friendly because toilet paper actually produces less pollutants after entering the sewer and can be more easily purified in sewage treatment plants.

In order to completely say goodbye to this small trash can, efforts are being made from all parties.

Researchers have been working hard to develop new papermaking technologies to make toilet paper that will not leak when wiping, but can quickly dissolve in water. For example, some paper towels and wet toilet paper, although they look thick, can also be safely flushed down the toilet.

The relevant departments have also updated the quality standards for toilet paper accordingly, such as adding the dispersibility index mentioned above. In addition, indicators such as the diameter of toilet drain pipes have also been gradually standardized. With the corresponding standards, I believe that in the future we will have less pressure to flush toilet paper directly into the toilet.

Finally, we need to change our mindset. When everyone realizes that toilet paper can now be flushed directly down the toilet, this small wastebasket will become history.

We have experienced the changes from stone to horse manure paper to toilet paper, and from open air to dry toilet to flush toilet. Now it is time to say goodbye to this small wastebasket. Perhaps, only those warriors who have to use A4 paper to clean in an emergency will miss this small wastebasket.

Author: Ding Zong and Zhang Ang also contributed to this article

Reviewer: Huang Jinyang, Associate Professor, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tan Kah Kee College, Xiamen University

References:

[1] Xu Wei, Wang Yanqiu, Jiang Nan. Investigation and research on toilet paper disposal methods based on energy saving and environmental protection[J]. Journal of Capital Normal University: Natural Science Edition, 2018, 39(6):6.

[2] Ji Tianye. The difference between tissue paper and toilet paper. Toilet paper: How can I make the toilet dissolve? [J]. Environment and Life, 2017(4):4.

[3] Yao Jieyu, Qi Yuli, Feng Jiaying. Research on the current status of toilet paper in public toilets[J]. Science and Technology Economic Guide, 2017(34):2.