INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, is hosting the annual World of Wipes (WOW) conference this week at the InterContinental Buckhead in Atlanta, GA, where industry experts will explore in-depth the problems caused by flushing moist wipes and proposed legislation to eliminate clogs from municipal sewer systems.

A special session on 19 June will bring together four experts from diverse professional backgrounds to offer unique perspectives on wipe flushability, a topic of recent debate.

Moderated by Jan O'Regan, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Cotton Incorporated, the Flushable Update session and presenters will address questions such as, why wipes are clogging sewers, what the difference is between wipes engineered to be flushed and those that are not, and how manufacturers, cities and regulators are here and abroad helping.

Flush friendly

“This conference represents an important opportunity for the manufacturers, wastewater operators and community leaders gathered here to highlight how we’ve been working to educate consumers about what flush friendly really means,”explained Dave Rousse, President of INDA.

“We all agree the problem is that over 90% of items flushed are not designed to be flushed, but all of us seated around the table here in Atlanta are committed to collaborating with stakeholders across the board, and continuously improving industry standards and raising awareness about flush friendly products and practices.”

Industry’s experts

Rousse will represent the nonwoven industry point of view on flushability and proposed US state and city legislation, when he kicks off the session with a presentation entitled, Flushability: The Many Moving Pieces and How They Fit Together.

Rob Villee, Executive Director of the Plainfield Area Regional Sewerage Authority, will offer a municipal wastewater operator perspective on the joint activities with the manufacturers and INDA in strengthening flushability standards.

Michael Paschka, PE, Engineer at Procter & Gamble, will discuss an ISO Flushability Standard effort, and Abby Bailey, Marketing and Communications Director of the European Nonwoven Association (EDANA), will also discuss the European regulatory landscape on this important and shared issue.

www.inda.org