Toilet paper is safe to flush, as 26 off-the-shelf toilet paper brands with a “Green Mark” have been certified water-soluble in Taiwan, the Ministry of Environment said last week.
The “Do Not Flush Toilet Paper” signs posted in many restrooms have misled people to believe that toilet paper would clog the toilet, ministry officials told a forum in Taipei on Wednesday held jointly with the Taiwan Toilet Association on the cleanup and management of public restrooms.
Toilet paper is made of short cellulose fibers that can easily break apart in water, they said.
Twenty-six toilet paper brands circulating in Taiwan passed the CNS 1091 test and are certified water-soluble, they said.
Toilet paper would not block a toilet’s drainpipe, which is about 10cm wide, if it passes through the narrower P-trap, at about 5cm.
Taiwan Institute of Property Management president Kuo Chi-tzu (郭紀子) said that rather than toilet paper, household goods such as wet wipes, cotton swabs, cotton balls, tampons or dental floss are the main cause of blocked toilets.
While slurry, tile fragments or steel bars could fall into the pipelines of toilets and cause a blockage, aging pipes or greasy dirt, urine scale and fecal residue that have accumulated at pipe curves could narrow the inside diameter of the pipeline and block water flow, he said.
Therefore, regular maintenance of drainage systems is crucial to ensuring unobstructed water flow, including pipeline inspections and high-pressure washing, he added.
The ministry has launched an online poll (https://esms.moenv.gov.tw/toilet/VoteToilet2025) for people to select “The Best Public Toilet” from 40 restrooms qualified for the vote, with each person allowed to cast four votes per day. The poll runs through the end of this month.
Meanwhile, Friends of Daan Forest Park Foundation managing director Tsai Chien-sheng (蔡建生) said on the ministry’s podcast that the P-trap and drainpipe sizes are worldwide standards.
However, paper towels or wet wipes made of nonwoven fabric, which is insoluble in water, are difficult to break apart in water, he said.
Regarding why toilet paper is sometimes not flushed into the pipeline, Tsai said the key lies in the flushing power of the toilet.
Toilets with a low-profile tank produce less noise, but have weaker flushing power, which usually requires an additional 2kg of water pressure from outside the tank to create a vortex for the flush, he said.
Many silent flush toilets, which are widely introduced in concert halls, are rather impractical for public restrooms, as the ceiling or roof is usually not high enough to offer extra water pressure, he said.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
RSS