Can you flush cat litter or pet poo?
No. Put cat litter, cat poo and dog poo in the rubbish bin. This includes litter that is sold as “flushable”.
Checked: 1 November 2026. Each fact below has a source.
What water authorities say
- In 2021 a researcher asked five large Australian water authorities, including Sydney Water, Melbourne Water and Icon Water. He wrote in The Conversation: “Every single water authority stressed the message that no kitty litter should be flushed down the toilet.”
- The reason, from the same article: “If you flush kitty litter down your toilet, it can swell up and block sewer pipes, even in the pipes in your home”.
- On pet poo, the authorities said “generally “no””. One authority said that cat poo was OK to flush.
- Goulburn Valley Water puts “Kitty Litter” on its list of items for the bin.
Litter sold as flushable
Some cat litter sold in Australia says that it can be flushed in small amounts. For example, the Catnets tofu litter page says “Flushable in small quantities”. None of the litter pages that we read cites AS/NZS 5328, the flushable products standard.
Not all litter sellers agree. MICHU, an Australian litter seller, says: “do not flush cat litter or cat waste down the toilet”. It also says: “Do not flush MICHU Wonder cassava litter or Mixed Tofu Pro.”
Germs in cat poo
The New Zealand Department of Conservation asks people to “dispose of cat faeces in the rubbish bin, not the toilet”. It says that the Toxoplasma parasite in cat faeces can reach the sea in wastewater, and that it “cannot be treated by standard wastewater treatment methods, such as UV radiation.” We found no Australian authority that says the same.
Dog poo and “flushable” bags
In a test reported by the Australian Water Association in 2017, bags sold as flushable “remained intact after four hours spent in conditions simulating a sewer.”
The WA Government dog poo fact sheet says to put the bags in a council dog litter bin or your bin at home, or to compost the poo.
Septic tanks
WA Health and the NSW septic guide both say not to flush kitty litter or cat litter into a septic system.
The list shows every wipe we can find on sale in Australia that states it meets AS/NZS 5328:2022, with the source for each one. See the list.
Sources
- The Conversation: can I flush cat poo down the toilet? (7 June 2021)
- Goulburn Valley Water: don’t flush it (read 18 October 2026)
- Catnets: tofu cat litter (read 18 October 2026)
- MICHU: can you flush cat litter in Australia? (read 18 October 2026)
- New Zealand Department of Conservation: toxoplasmosis and dolphins (read 18 October 2026)
- Australian Water Association: flushable dog poo bag maker in hot water (22 August 2017)
- WA Government: dog poo fact sheet (2023)
- WA Health: understanding septic tank systems (read 18 October 2026)
- NSW Office of Local Government: the easy septic guide (2000)