Where do I throw cotton swabs? 

In the waste basket, of course! This is where you throw cotton swabs, dental floss, sanitary napkins, tampons, cotton wool, cigarette ends, condoms, snuff, hair, cat litter, chewing gum, kitchen paper and other rubbish.

Never flush rubbish down the toilet! It causes blockage and makes the purifying process more difficult. 

THE TOILET IS NO WASTE BASKET! 

Keep a waste basket in your bathroom. At the wastewater treatment plants, what we call "solid waste" is constantly getting caught on our screens. Swabs, pinches of snuff, cigarette ends, sanitary napkins, tampons and other things have been thrown in the toilet and ended up in the drain where they don't belong.

If they are thrown in the waste basket instead they will be incinerated together with the other residual waste, and turned into district heating and electricity. 

WHAT WE GLADLY RECEIVE 

Poop, pee, and toilet paper of course! Flush it down the toilet. Our wastewater treatment plants are designed to handle this and we can help society to dispose of it in a convenient way. 

CHEMICALS AND MEDICATIONS 

One of our worst problems are chemicals and medications which have been flushed down the drain! We have no chance to stop the hazardous substances from passing through the treatment plants and being discharged into nature. That's why it's so important never to pour chemicals or medications down the drain or toilet. 

Things that absolutely must not be poured or flushed down the drain or toilet: 

• Hazardous waste (chemicals, lacquer, glue, paint residue) should be brought to an Environment Station.
  
• Medications should be returned to a pharmacy where prescription drugs are sold.
   
• Frying fat: Wipe the frying pan with kitchen paper before washing up, and throw the paper in the bin under the sink. 

THINGS BELONGing IN A WASTE BASKET AND NOT IN THE TOILET: 

• Hair
• Tampons
• Cigarette ends
• Wet wipes
• Cotton swabs
• Condoms
• Snuff
• Kitchen paper
• Cat litter
• Cotton wool
• Diapers
• Newsprint
• Sanitary towels
• Dental floss
• Chewing gum 

WHY just TOILET PAPER? 

The toilet tissue is made of short fibres, in contrast with for example kitchen paper, which is made of long fibres. The short fibres of the toilet paper quickly dissolve in water, while the long fibres of kitchen paper are stronger and easily get caught on the screens at our wastewater treatment plants.

Kitchen paper should be thrown in a waste basket. 

WEIRD THINGS IN THE TOILET 

Now and then we see strange objects at our wastewater treatment plants, for example: 

• Power lawn mower
• False teeth
• Toys
• Mobile phones
• Lipsticks