Sewer

We don't often think about it, but we use our sewer system every day. Every time you flush the toilet or flush something down the sink, it goes down the drain.

Image with text: Well poop no junk in our sewers

Blockages

We in Zoetermeer face a lot of sewer blockages. In 2023 the municipality had to allocate over € 900,000 of tax money to solve the blockages. You will feel this in your wallet, because the sewer tax will go up as a result. We can prevent this together by not flushing stuff down the sewer that doesn't belong here.

Big culprits: damp toilet paper and frying fat

The biggest causes of blockages are damp toilet paper, other damp wipes, cooking oil and deep-frying fat. Moist wipes do not dissolve (fast enough) and form large clogs in the sewer. This also applies to wipes whose packaging says you can flush them. Cooking oil and frying fat cools and clumps together in the sewer. Together, clogs caused by these culprits can be easily prevented.

What can you do?

  • Flush only water, pee, poop and toilet paper down the toilet.
  • Do not flush damp toilet paper and other wet wipes down the toilet. Put them in a wastebasket and throw them away with the garbage. Even if the packaging says you can flush the wipes.
  • Collect deep-frying fat in a plastic bottle and bring it to the Zelfbrengdepot or to a drop-off point in your neighborhood. You often also help a sports club or charity with this, as they receive compensation when they turn in the grease.
  • Wipe leftover cooking oil, butter and gravy from the pan with kitchen paper. Throw the kitchen paper in the garbage and wash the pan with hot water and detergent.

What can you do in the event of a blockage?

Are you suffering from a clog? Check out the page Sewer clogging what you can do. Here is explained for each situation what steps you can take.