# The PIPES Act: What It Does

This bill tackles a growing problem in America's sewage systems: wet wipes and other disposable wipes that people flush down toilets but shouldn't. The bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to create official standards for what can actually be labeled as "flushable" and to enforce those standards against companies making false claims.

Right now, many wipe manufacturers slap the word "flushable" on their products even though these wipes don't break down like toilet paper does. When people flush them, they clog pipes in homes, damage municipal sewage treatment plants, and cause expensive backups and repairs. The bill aims to stop this by requiring manufacturers to prove their wipes actually meet specific scientific standards before they can use the word "flushable" or "sewer and septic safe" on the packaging. Companies would have to submit documentation to the EPA showing their products can disintegrate properly, pass through plumbing systems without clogging, and break down in the environment. If a company tries to sell wipes labeled as flushable without meeting these standards, they could face penalties up to $25,000 per day and $500,000 total for each violation.

The bill also requires the EPA to create a public education website explaining which products are actually safe to flush and why non-flushable wipes cause problems. This matters to everyday people because it could reduce the sewage backups and plumbing disasters that homeowners and municipalities deal with regularly, and it could lower the costs that water treatment facilities have to pass along to consumers. The EPA would have two years to write the rules, and manufacturers would need to pay a fee to have their products certified as truly flushable.

PIPES Act

McClain, Lisa C.

Protecting Infrastructure and Promoting Environmental Stewardship Act or the PIPES Act This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish standards for flushable wipes and require wipes that are marketed as being flushable to comply with those standards. The bill provides for civil penalties for noncompliance.