Sewer blockages more than halved during pilot project

Blockages across Chichester have plummeted following the launch of a pilot to keep ‘unflushables’ out of pipes.

We are working with The University of Chichester and sustainable disposal bag company TheFabBagCo to encourage the public to bin, not flush, sanitary products. 

From September, when the pilot launched to December, blockages caused by unflushables in the town fell to 11 compared with 29 in the same period in 2024 – a reduction of 62 per cent. 

We've supplied more than 300,000 of the sustainably-sourced, plant-based bags to the university’s communal loos. The university has provided bags in all halls of residence.  

Stats show 2.5 million tampons and 1.4 million pads make it into UK sewers every day, and 66 per cent of all pipe blockages are caused by period products and wet wipes. 

Yet recent surveys show that over a third of users have flushed a period product – with many saying they flush because they are unable to dispose of them properly. 

The two-year project aims to educate students about the impact of flushing sanitary products and offer the bags as an easy, hygienic and discreet way to bin them instead.  

Matt Collins, who leads Southern Water’s ‘Unflushables’ team, said: “A reduction of more than 60 per cent in blockages in just four months is a great result. Every year my team deals with tens of thousands of incidents across our region caused by the wrong things being flushed down the loo, including sanitary products. We know people often flush these products because they don’t know how to dispose of them properly - campaigns like this show what a difference education can make.” 

Lucy Ferre, Environment & Sustainable Development Officer at the University of Chichester, said: “'The bags have been a big hit with the university community, and both staff and students have appreciated this more discreet and hygienic method of period product disposal. It has also sparked some great conversation and awareness building around what should and shouldn't be flushed.' 

The FabBagCo inventor and CEO Martha Silcott, said: “The headline of a 62 per cent reduction in blockages is not the only thing I feel proud about from this game-changing pilot. It is also the opening-up on conversations around period disposal that Lucy mentions - the normalisation of periods. Bringing TheFabBagCo to university campuses makes so much sense, not only because you are reaching a lot of people at once, but because you are breaking down barriers and creating good responsible disposal habits at a young age. Small change; big impact!”