Green Limerick: Promoting appropriate flushing to swim in clean waters!

“THINK before you flush” is a new campaign, operated by Clean Coasts in partnership with Uisce Éireann.

The campaign attended the Limerick Island Swim, encouraging people of all ages to cultivate responsible flushing behaviours in their homes.

This initiative aims to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of flushing sanitary products and other damaging items down the toilet and to promote responsible waste management practices.

Organised by the volunteers of Narwhals Swim Club, the annual Island Swim celebrates the swimming community of Limerick city and invites participants to experience the River Shannon in a whole new way, from the water!

On the day, attendees were invited to engage in discussions about marine litter, responsible waste management, and ways to safeguard our wastewater network and marine habitats.

Speaking about the event, Ollie O’Flaherty from Clean Coasts said: “We are thankful to the Narwhal Swim Club and its volunteers for inviting us to be part of this event.

“We had a great day watching the participants take on such a fantastic challenge. TBYF goes hand in hand with swimming as we need clean water to enjoy these activities!

“We were delighted to be in Limerick and engage in conversations with every member of the community.”

READ MORE: New 'ambitious' action plan for Limerick waters to ease pollution

Sewage-related litter poses a real burden on our wastewater network and marine environment. Ollie said that “the wonderful news is that the solution is straightforward.”

The TBYF campaign emphasises the importance of appropriate flushing behaviour and disposal of items including wipes and other sanitary products in the bin, even if they are labelled as flushable.

When items such as wet wipes are flushed they can cause serious blockages in wastewater networks, cause sewage overflows and ultimately pollute our rivers, lakes, beaches and coastlines.

Uisce Éireann’s head of wastewater operations, Nuala Woods, congratulated the volunteers of Limerick Narwhals Swimming Club for organising such a successful event at the weekend.

“This annual event celebrates the swimming community of Limerick city and we’re delighted that the TBYF team were given the opportunity to enhance community awareness about the need to protect our precious environment.

“Many of these items discarded down the toilets of Ireland can end up in our streams, rivers, and on our beaches, creating a significant threat to wildlife as seabirds often ingest plastic and sewage related litter, mistaking it for food.”

She also said that it is “vital to empower long-lasting change to flushing behaviours” and that the TBYF campaign “demonstrates how all of us can play our part in protecting our eco-system”.

Also at the Limerick Island Swim, the team discussed the Think Before You Pour campaign, that looks at the issue of pouring fats, oils, and greases (FOGs) from cooking down the kitchen sink.

Instead of flowing freely, FOGs cool and harden as they travel along the wastewater network.

Uisce Éireann clears thousands of blockages from the wastewater network every year. The Think Before Pour campaign urges everyone to dispose of FOGs in the bin once cool.