WINTERPORT (AP) – Sewage treatment plants in Maine are reporting growing problems with disposable wipes that people throw down the toilet.

In Winterport, water district superintendent Steve Lane says the wipes are clogging treatment plant pumps and costing communities money in equipment repairs and overtime.

He says the wipes should be thrown in the trash, not the toilet, because they don’t break down like paper products.

Lane says other plant operators around the state are encountering similar problems, with one town considering installing a $1.5 million screening device to block wipes before they enter the system.