Helpful advice from the street

And those thoughts from Margaret have been echoed by the news media and by our neighbours. Here are some further useful tips from Michael Hilliard:

Having lived through similar circumstances, the policy for toilet use needs to be:
"If it's brown, flush it down. If it's yellow, let it mellow."

Also, wherever possible waste water, such as from cooking etc, should be allowed to cool then poured into your garden (not the storm water drain). 

Not pleasant but what will be REALLY unpleasant will be standing on the street behind your neighbours on a winter morning waiting to use the portaloo.   

We really don't want that do we ...

Back here at 121 I have stuck little FLUSH ONLY IF YOU HAVE TO! notices on our toilet cisterns, covering up the flush handle, to stop inadvertent flushes in the middle of the night. Not a popular move with my other half, but as they say, desperate measures for desperate times!

Barb Maclean asks:

I have also been told that the waste products from using the insinkerator goes directly into the sewer. Apparently we should be putting all waste food in the green bins. Maybe someone can confirm this?

Yes, Barb, this is true. Your bath, shower, sinks, dishwasher and washing machine all drain into a sump that connects to the sewer. So taking a shower instead of a bath is preferable, and it's even better if you have one of those water-conserving shower heads. And do put any compostable kitchen waste into your green bin.