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After the Toilet Flushes 2 Trivia Quiz

It's so convenient to flush things down the toilet even when it was not designed to be a garbage bin. With some things this is fine. But with other things it is not. All sorts of problems come from thoughtless flushing.

A multiple-choice quiz by Lwaxy. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Lwaxy

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
399,766

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
445

Last 3 plays: clevercatz (6/10), Guest 137 (7/10), Dunkeroo (7/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Hopefully everyone knows cooking grease is fine neither in the sink nor in the toilet. There are many images of fatbergs of gigantic size. But what other commonly "toiletted" household waste is a main ingredient in these fatbergs? Hint

Hair

Wet wipes

Shoe laces

Condoms

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Question 2 of 10

2. How do fatbergs form? Hint

Water saving toilets just don't add enough water when flushing

With less rain, material gets stuck in shallow water

Alkaline fluids turn fat and assorted insoluble matter into a solid substance

With too much rain this causes vortexes which entangles material

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Question 3 of 10

3. If they weren't so hard to remove, fatbergs could be a good source of what? Hint

Fertilizer

Biogas and biodiesel

An earthquake-proof replacement for concrete

Pet food

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Question 4 of 10

4. It is fine to flush leftover food down your toilet.

True

False

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Question 5 of 10

5. There are also harmful chemicals in the sewers. Besides cleaning products, where do those come from? Hint

Cigarette butts

Each of these causes pollution

Medication

Cosmetics

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Question 6 of 10

6. Some sewage treatment facilities do find which valuable resources in ash from burned sludge? Hint

Diamond dust

Various recycleable chemicals

A mix of minerals used as fertilizer

Gold, silver, copper, zinc & other metals

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Question 7 of 10

7. Used coffee grounds are fine to flush down the toilet and even help with de-clogging.

True

False

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Question 8 of 10

8. After heavy rain, city hospitals often see an influx of which of these? Hint

People sick with stomach bugs

Patients with allergy flare ups

Patients with rat bites

People who have fainted due to the smell

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Question 9 of 10

9. You may suspect a broken sewer pipe under your garden if you notice which of these? Hint

Patches of grass are extra lush and green

Your roses lose their petals

Garden moles no longer live under your soil

An increase in ant hills can be observed

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Question 10 of 10

10. You just flushed, and the toilet makes weird gurgling noises. What's happening? Hint

Most likely, you are infested with rats

Most likely, there is a clog

The toilet is fine, it is a change in weather pressure

Most likely, the sewers are currently overloaded

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Nov 01 2024 : clevercatz: 6/10
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Wet wipes

Fatbergs started to become a problem when disposable wet wipes were used regularly. Sewer workers coined the term, coming from fat and berg, modelled after iceberg. Of course, an iceberg is something much nicer to look at.

2. How do fatbergs form?

Answer: Alkaline fluids turn fat and assorted insoluble matter into a solid substance

Fatbergs can be as solid as concrete. Some fatbergs take months to remove with special equipment.

3. If they weren't so hard to remove, fatbergs could be a good source of what?

Answer: Biogas and biodiesel

A fatberg found under London in 2017 was almost completely turned into biodiesel. The leftover piece is now on display in a museum.

4. It is fine to flush leftover food down your toilet.

Answer: False

While food will break down eventually, it is definitely not a good idea to flush it as it can still cause clogs. Human waste is already broken down and the whole plumbing system is designed for that, and not as a replacement bio-waste bin.

5. There are also harmful chemicals in the sewers. Besides cleaning products, where do those come from?

Answer: Each of these causes pollution

Antibiotics simply flushed away is one of the reasons bacteria develop resistance. The amount in the sewers is not enough to kill them; instead it helps those bugs to develop coping mechanisms. Hormone products get into freshwater and cause changes to fish. Cigarette butts release all the bad stuff they filtered from the smoke, including nicotine and heavy metals.

Not to mention they also add to the clogging. Cosmetics add to both clogging and pollution as well. Especially bad are cotton pads and buds.

6. Some sewage treatment facilities do find which valuable resources in ash from burned sludge?

Answer: Gold, silver, copper, zinc & other metals

In the city of Suwa in Japan, about two kilos of gold per ton of ash is extracted. There are gold mines with lower output than this. Unfortunately, only a few facilities work to retrieve these resources.

7. Used coffee grounds are fine to flush down the toilet and even help with de-clogging.

Answer: False

Coffee grounds contain a lot of fat, so even if you flush with lots of water, while it will likely not clog your own pipes, it will add to the fatberg problem.

8. After heavy rain, city hospitals often see an influx of which of these?

Answer: People sick with stomach bugs

In heavy rain, sewer systems are often out of capacity. This causes overflow of sewage into rivers and streets. Bacteria getting into fresh water, and areas where people work and play, is a growing problem and leads to more people with gastroenteritis.

9. You may suspect a broken sewer pipe under your garden if you notice which of these?

Answer: Patches of grass are extra lush and green

Sewage is a good fertilizer, despite the chemicals in it. So your lawn will love it, but you still get the pipe fixed as soon as possible.

10. You just flushed, and the toilet makes weird gurgling noises. What's happening?

Answer: Most likely, there is a clog

Clogs can cause suction due to negative air pressure. When it is released, it causes the gurgling, and the toilet usually flushes unless the blockage is already too massive. If this happens more than once and you can't find the cause with available tools, contact a plumber and, if relevant, your neighbors.

Source: Author Lwaxy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor rossian before going online.
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