Septic system safety and proper functioning is a key factor in achieving the comfort and ambiance of a home.
Septic systems get blocked or damaged occasionally due to the entry of unflushable objects into the drainage pipes and the tank.
One of the most commonly used hygiene products is Dude Wipes which are then disposed of by flushing down the toilet bowl or placing them in a trash bin.
There has been a raging debate over whether or not it’s okay to flush Dude Wipes into septic systems.
In this post, I will narrow down on this popular flushable wipe and its safety (or lack thereof) for your septic system.
Are Dude Wipes Biodegradable?
According to Dude Products, Dude Wipes are made up of plant-based fibers and 99% water, making them flushable and compliant with the INDA GD4 flushability guidelines.
Dude Products also claim that wipes do break down when flushed into a septic system.
For starters, INDA GD4 guidelines require companies that make non-woven products, such as wipes, to assess, test, and label the flushability of their products.
Generally, it is not recommendable to flush any type of wipe down the septic system.
See, unlike standard tissue paper, which is made up of 100% organic matter and quickly breaks down on its own, flushable wipes like Dude Wipes contain inorganic matter, such as plastic resins and mixed fibers.
Well, while the inorganic portion of the wipes may be small, it greatly affects the degradation time difference for wipes.
Remember, septic system bacteria cannot break down inorganic matter, so it has to break down on its own, consequently taking longer.
Therefore, breaking down flushable wipes tends to take longer and form a soggy mass at the bottom of the septic tank, and if accumulated for a long time, they might even block the entire septic system.
When this happens, the only option is to have them removed manually.
The process is recurrent and costly and drives up the overall cost of maintaining a septic system.
So, Should You Flush Dude Wipes into the Septic System?
Even though most wipes, including Dude Wipes, are marketed as flushable and safe for septic systems, most of them cause problems when flushed down a septic system.
It is evident that your favorite flushable wipes maker and distributor, Dude Products, still have a long way as far as meeting the INDA GD4 compliance requirements are concerned.
If anything, the company has been embroiled in a court case where it has been sued by two North Carolina residents who claim that the wipes clog drainage systems.
That’s despite the company’s advertisements marketing Dude Wipes as “flushable and septic-friendly,” which the plaintiffs claim amounts to misinformation and misrepresentation of facts.
So, as of the time of writing this post, I think that flushing Dude Wipes down your septic system is not advisable. The options available in the market right now are not 100% organic and likely cause recurrent septic system problems.
In a nutshell, Dude Wipes are not 100% septic-safe, and therefore, alternative disposal measures are the best option to take in the meantime.
That said, there’s hope that the company may be able to produce 100% septic-friendly biodegradable wipes in the future.
Before then, the best way to dispose of Dude Wipes is to place them in a trash bin and burn them in the incinerator to avoid environmental contamination.
