Call it Flushing 101.

Residents in 91原创 and Metro Vancouver will get a lesson in flushing ettiquite through a newly launched campaign.

The goal is to educate residents to stop dumping items down the drain that clog the municipal and regional sewer system. This is a national problem and the cost of dealing with this issue across Canada has been estimated at $250 million.

The 2017 Unflushables campaign, which launched April 20, focuses on the worst offenders for clogged drains, such as wipes, paper towels, dental floss, hair, tampons and applicators, and condoms, as well as medications.

鈥淵ou wouldn鈥檛 believe some of the items that people flush, but it鈥檚 the everyday objects that people often don鈥檛 think about that can cause the biggest problems,鈥� Metro Vancouver Utilities Chair Darrell Mussatto said. 鈥淚t costs us hundreds of thousands of dollars to deal with clogs, damage to equipment, sewage overflows and environmental impacts as a result of these things ending up in our wastewater infrastructure.鈥�

The campaign will build on the success of Metro Vancouver鈥檚 鈥楴ever Flush Wipes鈥� campaign and the more recent 鈥榃ipe It, Green Bin It鈥� grease pilots in Richmond and Surrey.

The concept will use a light and humorous tone to inform residents about what shouldn鈥檛 be dumped in their toilets, and will aim to reach people in public washrooms, through social media and a dedicated website (www.unflushables.ca), as well as in-store messaging opportunities at select drug stores.

Besides items that typically clog drains and sewers, medications will also have a prominent role in this year鈥檚 campaign.

鈥淎lthough they aren鈥檛 responsible for clogging our infrastructure, medications are another item that our residents need to be conscious about,鈥� Mussatto said.

鈥淔lushing medications is problematic as it is difficult for wastewater treatment systems to fully remove them and they may end up in the aquatic environment. The province has mandated a producer-led scheme for managing medications so they don鈥檛 end up in our waterways and landfills. Unused and expired medications should be disposed of properly at a local pharmacy.鈥�

There is no regulatory standard to define what is 鈥榝lushable鈥� and Canadian municipalities are estimated to spend $250 million each year dealing with 鈥渦nflushable鈥� items that affect wastewater infrastructure.

Costs at Metro Vancouver are estimated to be at least $100,000 annually to de-clog regional pump stations, and with hundreds of thousands on top of that to replace damaged equipment.

Residents of Metro Vancouver can find out more about The Unflushables campaign and the correct way to dispose of the targeted items at .