Pandemic-related trash causes waste increases, sewer problems By: Jonathan Shead | C&G Newspapers | Published April 23, 2021
Remnants of disposable wipes and other debris sit after being raked from higher sections of the giant bar screen at the Northeast Sewage Pumping Station in Detroit.
Photo provided by Macomb County Public Works Office
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OAKLAND COUNTY You may have noticed it walking around your neighborhoods, parks and local businesses. A surge of disposable, non-recyclable products such as surgical face masks, latex gloves and disposable cleaning wipes has contributed to increases in litter and potential environmental damage.
“There is a little increase in litter, at least that’s what I’ve seen anecdotally,” Southeastern Oakland County Resource Recovery Authority General Manager Jeff McKeen said, adding that SOCRRA has seen about a 10% increase in waste coming from the organization’s member communities. “Som
A crew clears wipes and other debris at the bottom of the giant bar screen at the Northeast Sewage Pumping Station in Detroit. The overall effort, including the cleaning of the wet well, took more than six weeks and cost an estimated $450,000.
Photo provided by Macomb County Public Works Office
Flushed wipes ‘wreaking havoc’ on pipes, pump stations
Remnants of disposable wipes and other debris sit after being raked from higher sections of the giant bar screen at the station.
Photo provided by Macomb County Public Works Office
METRO DETROIT Not all wipes are disposable, even if packages claim otherwise.
Increased use of disposable wipes in Oakland & Macomb counties can lead to sewer damage, officials say
Posted at 9:27 AM, Apr 01, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-01 09:27:29-04
(WXYZ) â The use of disposable wipes appears to be increasing during the pandemic, the Macomb County Public Works Commission says.
Officials say disposable wipes lead to costly damage to sewer pipes and pump stations serving both Macomb and Oakland counties.
MCPW Commissioner Candice S. Miller and Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash says wipes should never be flushed, even if labeling on packages indicate they are flushable.
âIn early 2018, approximately 70 tons of debris that had accumulated over a period of three years was removed from the Northeast Sewage Pumping Station in Detroit. Three years later, a crew that recently completed a cleaning removed approximately 270 tons of debris,â Miller said. âThatâs a huge â and troubling increase.