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agrd
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An Indiscreet Question on an Indelicate Subject
In preparing for a trip to Baja, I learned that in Baja and possibly all of Mexico, toilet paper isn't flushed down the toilet--it's placed in a
covered receptacle and taken out with the garbage. The reason given is that the plumbing in Mexico isn't up to handling toilet paper.
This strikes me as rather odd. I've lived in third-world countries and never encountered this before. Presumably, if Mexico has conventional toilets
and septic systems, toilet paper should be no problem. It has short fibers and is designed to disintegrate in water. I wonder if the prohibition isn't
a holdover, based on the fact that some Mexicans, apparently even now, use newspaper or magazine pages, which could definitely clog the system. If
this prohibition has been passed on and never questioned, it could be an artifact.
Are there any plumbing contractors in the audience who could provide an expert opinion, or others who have flushed toilet paper for an extended period
with no negative effects on the system?
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DENNIS
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Great first post, agrd. Welcome to BajaNomad.
It just depends on where you are, I mean....other than the bathroom. Newer plumbing will handle paper and older probably won't. Just look for the
recepticle next to the Taza and follow the clues.
If you can't make a decision from what you see, just put the soiled paper in your pocket and dispose of it when you get home. 
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DENNIS
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By the way.....toilet paper is less expensive than newspapers down here, so that reasoning is invalid.
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desertcpl
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
Great first post, agrd. Welcome to BajaNomad.
It just depends on where you are, I mean....other than the bathroom. Newer plumbing will handle paper and older probably won't. Just look for the
recepticle next to the Taza and follow the clues.
If you can't make a decision from what you see, just put the soiled paper in your pocket and dispose of it when you get home. |
thats funny
agrd
i think all you mentioned is correct, with one exception, its not in a covered recepticle, plus bring your own TP
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Udo
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EEWWWE...GROSS!
| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
Great first post, agrd. Welcome to BajaNomad.
... just put the soiled paper in your pocket and dispose of it when you get home. |
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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CasaManzana
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AH...the Big TP Question....
Here at Posada Concepcion (Mulege) we are told that the sewer lines do not have the proper slope, thus TP will dry up half way down and cause issues
in the line before reaching the tank. Our place on the mainland, and on a hillside, they say no problemo senor.
Here's the perfect toilet-
Things are expensive, but at least we get a free trip around the sun once a year
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rob
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agrd - if you ever live with a septic tank system, you will thank guests who follow the custom. Its just the difference between having to clean the
septic tank system of the accumulated junk sooner rather than later.
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by desertcpl
its not in a covered recepticle, plus bring your own TP |
Most definitly not a covered recepticle. Who in their right mind would touch it to remove the lid? 
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Cypress
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If your digestive tract is functioning properly you don't need toilet paper. Do any other animals have to wipe their behinds? Name one.
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cypress
If your digestive tract is functioning properly you don't need toilet paper. Do any other animals have to wipe their behinds? Name one. |
I saw a dog in a TV commercial do it on the white carpet. Pretty smart dog, I think. He'd probably have a lot of trouble using Charmin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psP5G7aodj8
.
[Edited on 11-5-2011 by DENNIS]
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woody with a view
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without following the link i'm thinking, TOBY!!!!!
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Cypress
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DENNIS, That's funny! Saw it to. Todo!!!!
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desertcpl
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and if your in a classy place in MX, some times they put the brown side down
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cypress
If your digestive tract is functioning properly you don't need toilet paper |
your shorts must be filthy.
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mcfez
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My rule of travel is this:
no receptacle / down that express way to McDonalds.
receptacle / just place it in there.
or....just dont leave your car.
Old people are like the old cars, made of some tough stuff. May show a little rust, but good as gold on the inside.
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BajaRat
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You use toilet paper
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Bob and Susan
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the correct answer is...
old customs from childhood
in the old days a septic system was a hole in the ground
the "bad stuff" just sat there and "leached"
if you flushed paper it filled the hole in no time
modern 3 chamber systems can clean the "bad stuff"
the paper is eaten by bacteria
the reasons mexicans dont flush is they grew up differently
this is why even home depot and mcdonalds place trash cans in the bathrooms
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Woooosh
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My Mexican family puts the used TP in a receptacle next to the toilet. Uncovered. My American family thinks that's just too gross for comprehension
and flushes it. We built the house with 3" pipes, so no problem either way- just tradition.
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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agrd
Newbie
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Registered: 11-4-2011
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Thanks for your replies.
| Quote: | | Newer plumbing will handle paper and older probably won't. Just look for the recepticle next to the Taza and follow the clues. |
The thing is, people may put out a receptacle just because everyone else does, even though it may not be necessary?
| Quote: | | By the way.....toilet paper is less expensive than newspapers down here, so that reasoning is invalid. |
Probably a lot of the newspapers are discarded or would be purchased anyway? TP would just be an extra expense or one more thing to
bring home. I'm sure there's an explanation.
| Quote: | | Here at Posada Concepcion (Mulege) we are told that the sewer lines do not have the proper slope, thus TP will dry up half way down and cause issues
in the line before reaching the tank. |
Unless these are open ditches, sewer lines are closed, so no one could
see inside them, and they're kept continually damp by sewage, so it shouldn't dry.
| Quote: | | if you ever live with a septic tank system, you will thank guests who follow the custom. Its just the difference between having to clean the septic
tank system of the accumulated junk sooner rather than later. |
I've had a septic system in the US for most of
the past 17 years and never had to clean it. It got cleaned once after 10 years and wasn't even close to full. Anyway, I'm happy to have the tank
pumped once every few years if it means I can flush the paper.
Has anyone flushed paper even where there was a receptacle and not encountered a problem? I mean, if a system can handle human waste, it surely ought
to be able to handle toilet paper.
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agrd
Newbie
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Registered: 11-4-2011
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bob and Susan
the correct answer is...
old customs from childhood
in the old days a septic system was a hole in the ground
the "bad stuff" just sat there and "leached"
if you flushed paper it filled the hole in no time
modern 3 chamber systems can clean the "bad stuff"
the paper is eaten by bacteria
the reasons mexicans dont flush is they grew up differently
this is why even home depot and mcdonalds place trash cans in the bathrooms |
That's what I thought. Thanks.
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