Friday, 27 February 2026
East Gippsland Water is calling on the community to help stop wet wipes and grease from blocking sewer pipes, as part of a renewed education campaign featuring Wipezilla – the wet wipe monster. The campaign targets everyday behaviours that are leading to costly blockages, environmental risks and avoidable call‑outs across the region.
East Gippsland Water General Manager Customer, Community & Communications, David Radford, said the campaign builds on years of evidence and recent incidents showing that customer behaviour is one of the biggest drivers of sewer blockages.
“Even wipes labelled ‘flushable’ do not break down like toilet paper,” Mr Radford said.
“Once they enter the sewer system, they can clump together and combine with fats and oils to form large blockages. These incidents are largely preventable, which is why education is such an important part of protecting essential services.”
Alongside the broader public campaign, East Gippsland Water is also working directly with schools, school camps, hospitals, aged care facilities and residential villages, particularly in locations where repeated blockages and pump alarms have occurred.
General Manager Service Delivery, Hamish Reid, said sites with high visitor numbers and shared amenities — especially those operating commercial kitchens — can be particularly vulnerable.
“We regularly respond to call‑outs triggered by pump alarms, and when we investigate, we often find wet wipes, food scraps and cooking fats are the cause,” Dr Reid said.
“In places like hospitals, aged care facilities and school camps, even small changes in behaviour can make a significant difference.”
Dr Reid said these blockages create environmental, operational and workforce impacts.
“A blocked sewer increases the risk of overflows to land or waterways, adds unnecessary costs, and places additional demands on our field crews, often outside normal working hours,” he said.
“Reducing avoidable call‑outs helps protect the environment and ensures our teams can focus on planned maintenance and essential works.”
As part of the campaign, East Gippsland Water is distributing stickers and tent cards for toilets, amenities blocks and kitchens, reinforcing the simple message to only flush the ‘3Ps’: pee, poo and toilet paper.
The organisation’s Community Engagement and Education team is also available for presentations to explain how wastewater systems work and why everyday actions matter. They can also arrange site tours of East Gippsland Water’s water recycling plants.
“Most people never see or care what happens after they flush a toilet or use a sink,” Mr Radford said.
“When people understand the consequences, behaviour changes. That’s good for the environment, our communities and the long‑term cost to customers of running the system.”
A recent sewer spill.