“Splash!” As the box of Band-Aids I was holding fell out of my hand they slowly fell into my toilet. Darn it! Why does our toilet have to be so close to our cabinet? Well this is no time to make a fuss I have to fish it out before it clogs the pipes!

“Mom do you know where I can find gloves?”

“There down here, come and get them.”

“OK!”

Klonk Klonk Klonk goes my feet as I storm down the stairs. Once I reach the bottom I hear a strange noise. As I follow it upstairs I remember my little brother is up there. Oh no what if he flushes the Band-Aids down the toilet? Remembering this makes me run up the stairs! I get to the top and see Perry (my little brother) about the flush the Band-Aids down the toilet. “Perry STOP!” I yell to him, “you can’t flush that!”

“Why not it’s so small?”

“Everything other than toilet paper can’t be flushed down the toilet, it says that on the MWRA website.”

“What’s the MWRA?”

“You don’t know who the MWRA is?”

“Uhhh no.”

“It’s so cool, come on let me show you!”

“Ok!”

“So you type in MWRA and it pops up, see. It says what not to flush – pre moistened wipes, bandages or dressings, cotton balls or swabs, catheters, wrappers, feminine hygiene products, facial tissues, test strips, tropical solutions, medications or supplements, cleaners or disinfectants, cigarette butts, dental floss, diapers, hair, paper towels, hypodermic needles, dust, dirt, and lint. And look at this, it says if a scrap of undissolved material gets caught on a nick bend or bump within a pipe, it can trigger a growth or buildup that could cause a sewer backup in your home, workplace, or neighborhood! See Perry that is why you can’t flush Band-Aids down the toilet.”

“Ok, but what do you do if your toilet gets clogged?”

“Good question! I have 3 answers, 1. you can call a plumber, 2. you can use a plunger, or 3. if you don’t have one you can by one. Well, Perry, do you have more questions?”

“Well I have one more. How are we going to fix the toilet?”

“Well we can get gloves on and fish it out!”

“Oh well now that I know what and what not to flush down the toilet we should fish it out!"