Flushable, biodegradable, compostable: what do the words mean?
Only “flushable” with AS/NZS 5328:2022 on the pack tells you that a wipe passed flush tests. Biodegradable, compostable, plastic-free and plant-based do not tell you that a wipe is safe to flush.
Barwon Water says it in one line: ““biodegradable” isn’t the same as meeting the standard.”
Checked: 1 November 2026. Each fact below has a source.
The words at a glance
| Word on the pack | What is behind it in Australia | Safe to flush? |
|---|---|---|
| Flushable, with AS/NZS 5328:2022 or the flushable logo | A voluntary standard with six tests. A laboratory tests the product. WSAA approves the use of the logo. | Yes. Follow the flush limit on the pack. |
| Flushable, with no standard | Nothing. The word alone has no test behind it. | No. Look for the standard or the logo. |
| Biodegradable | No Australian standard for the word alone. Consumer law says that the claim must not mislead. | No. |
| Compostable | Two compost standards: AS 4736 (commercial) and AS 5810 (home). | No. A compost test is not a sewer test. |
| Plastic-free | No Australian rule written for wipes. Consumer law applies. | No, not on its own. |
| Plant-based | No definition found. | No. |
Flushable
AS/NZS 5328:2022 Flushable products is a joint standard of Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand. It was published in May 2022. Standards Australia says that a flushable product must have “a declaration that it has passed six stringent tests”.
WSAA’s questions and answers (October 2024) give the tests in plain words:
- The product clears a toilet and the drain line.
- It does not snag or block household pumps or wastewater network pumps (two tests).
- After 60 minutes under forces like those in a wastewater pipe, most of the product is in pieces smaller than 2.45 cm square.
- It sinks, and does not float, in a treatment plant.
- It degrades biologically, so that it does not harm treatment plant processes.
- The maker states that the product contains no plastic.
The standard has no certification body. A laboratory tests the product, and WSAA approves the use of the flushable logo. Icon Water says that a product with the logo or the line “Complies with AS/NZS 5328:2022” is safe to flush. Our list shows each wipe sold in Australia that states the standard.
Biodegradable
Biodegradable means that bacteria and other living things can break a material down. The word alone does not say how fast, or where.
The ACCC said in 2011 that a biodegradable claim is likely to mislead if the product “takes a very long time or requires quite specific conditions before it will degrade.”
Biodegradation is only one of the six flush tests. A wipe must also clear the drain, pass through pumps, break into small pieces within an hour and sink.
Compostable
Australia has two compost standards. AS 4736 covers commercial composting. AS 5810 covers home composting. The Australasian Bioplastics Association certifies products to these standards and gives the “seedling” and “home compostable” logos.
The ABA says that certified home compostable items “are tested to biodegrade within 12 months”. It also says that its certification “only applies to products that actively divert food waste into organics recycling”. Some wipes cite a European compost standard, for example EN 13432.
A home compost test runs for months. A flushable wipe must break up within an hour in a sewer. Thus a compost claim does not tell you that a wipe is safe to flush.
Plastic-free
Many wipes contain plastic fibres such as polyester and polypropylene. The Northern Ireland Government says that “Plastic free wipes are typically made of organic materials such as viscose fibres, Lyocell or cotton.”
We found no Australian ban on plastic in wipes. The United Kingdom bans the sale of wet wipes that contain plastic. The bans start in Wales on 18 December 2026, in Northern Ireland on 18 May 2027, in England on 19 May 2027 and in Scotland on 11 August 2027 (Welsh Government).
Plastic-free does not mean safe to flush. The UK Government said that it was unclear “how effective a ban solely on the plastic contained in wet wipes would be in reducing blockages in sewers.” A wipe that meets AS/NZS 5328 has a statement from its maker that it contains no plastic.
Plant-based
We found no definition of plant-based for wipes in Australia. Viscose and lyocell are made from wood pulp. Some plastics are also made from plants. The ABA says that bioplastics are “made from renewable, plant-based materials like corn, sugarcane, or other biobased sources.”
Thus plant-based does not always mean plastic-free, and it does not mean safe to flush.
Claims and the law
Under the Australian Consumer Law, an environmental claim must not be false or misleading. In April 2025 the Federal Court ordered Clorox Australia to pay $8.25 million for “ocean plastic” claims on GLAD bags (ACCC). In 2018 Pental paid $700,000 in penalties for flushable claims on White King wipes (ACCC).
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
- Standards New Zealand: AS/NZS 5328:2022 clarifies what can be flushed (27 May 2022)
- Standards Australia: flushable products standard now available (May 2022)
- WSAA: Flushable Products Standard questions and answers (new address) (October 2024)
- Icon Water: flushable products standard (read 18 October 2026)
- Barwon Water: don’t flush it (read 18 October 2026)
- ACCC: your consumer rights, environmental claims (2011)
- Australasian Bioplastics Association: commercial compostable verification (read 18 October 2026)
- Australasian Bioplastics Association: questions and answers (read 18 October 2026)
- Northern Ireland DAERA: wet wipes containing plastic FAQs (1 June 2026)
- Welsh Government: ban on wet wipes containing plastic (updated 20 August 2026)
- UK Government: plastic wet wipes ban (17 December 2025)
- UK Government: single-use plastic items, response to the call for evidence (updated 14 January 2023)
- ACCC: Clorox ordered to pay $8.25m (14 April 2025)
- ACCC: Pental to pay $700,000 (12 April 2018)