[layer8]

That link talks about plastic items, but the wet wipes I’m familiar with are 100% plant-based and biodegradable, and dissolve in water.

Edit, to clarify: The wipes in question have been certified according to the EDANA Flushability Guidelines, which have been adopted into law in some countries, and there is also a related Spanish standard UNE 149002:2019 (“Acceptance criteria for disposable products via toilet”). The producer (Essity) claims that they dissolve similarly quickly to regular toiled paper.

It might very well be that the wipes still cause problems, but it’s not like these are plastic items that are flushed down the toilet in an unregulated way.

[BLKNSLVR]

There was a news article on Australia a few years ago about these wet wipes that were advertised as biodegradable and dissolved in water, but they were either outright lies or they didn't degrade / dissolve in anywhere near the timeframe that made them suitable for flushing down the toilet - hence an increase in the fatberg problem.

The news article was essentially a public service announcement to not flush those wet wipes unless you want a sewerage problem down the line.

[BearOso]

And I read a study a while back that researched this, and analyzed several fatberg deposits. They concluded that there was no trace of biodegradable wipes. And that follows purchasing patterns--99.9% of those bought aren't the biodegradable kind. People just don't care and continue to flush wipes, diapers, fats, cat litter, and who knows what else.

[BearOso]

That situation is such a mess. Those dissolving wipes actually exist, and actually dissolve.

So what do people do? They buy the cheap, non-dissolving ones and flush them anyway. Then when they inevitably clog, they call the plumber and insist they bought the correct ones when asked. So now there's widespread confusion about whether the dissolving ones work.

[bryanlarsen]

Dissolving in water is not enough to prevent clogging infrastructure, they must dissolve quickly. Most don't.

[op00to]

At least in the US, the “plant-based”, “biodegradable”, sewer or septic safe wet wipes are anything but sewer and septic safe. They cause such problems that in my town with older sewers there are huge fines if you’re tracked down flushing them.

[barbazoo]

No, it’s all lies. Wet wipes don’t break down, no matter what these companies tell you. I’d rather listen to whatever your municipality is telling you.

[hoseyor]

I would love to know which wipes those are, because I have never come across any that are even remotely actually dissolvable. If you know of a brand, I really would like to know which that is. Have you ever tried putting one in some water just to see how dissolvable they are?

There is also that they’re kind of a contradiction in terms anyways, they’re wet … wipes. If they were dissolvable in water, the wetness of the wipes would cause dissolvement.

What many people are not even aware of is that even all high end toilet paper in the USA is a major headache for sewer systems because even that “paper” does not dissolve well at all, because they’re so focused on making the “paper” feel soft or be durable, it’s technically not even paper anymore and actually more like a cellulose felt.