Don’t: This is why you should never flush leftovers down the toilet.

Sometimes, despite careful planning, there is still something left over from lunch or dinner that will definitely not be eaten again. But what to do with it? “Food scraps should never be flushed down the toilet or into the waste water,” writes the Federal Environment Agency on its website.

And this has several reasons. The remains are a real feast for the rats in the sewers, and the population is growing. In addition, rodents search for the source of the meal – and thus can enter the house.

In addition, food in wastewater increases efforts and costs for sewage treatment plants. They also cannot filter all of the waste water, which reduces the quality. Also, food can clog the pipes. Greases and oils in particular cool in the water and settle on the pipe walls, causing the pipes to become clogged in the long term.