- Most produce stickers are made of plastic or vinyl with adhesive backing.
- These stickers stick to pipe walls, creating catch points for other debris.
- Prevent plumbing problems by removing stickers before washing produce and toss them in the trash.
You’re at the sink, rinsing an apple before slicing it up for a snack. The water rushes over the fruit, and before you know it, that little produce sticker peels off and slips down the drain. No big deal, right? It’s just a tiny piece of what looks like paper.
But according to plumbers, letting produce stickers wash away is a habit you’ll want to break. While it’s easy to assume small items won’t cause much trouble, some can be surprisingly harmful—produce stickers included. To find out why, we spoke with plumbers who’ve seen firsthand what these tiny stowaways can do to your pipes.
Why You Shouldn’t Let Produce Stickers Go Down the Drain
At first glance, a produce sticker looks like something that would simply dissolve and wash away—but appearances can be deceiving. “The problem is that people perceive produce stickers as paper, but in reality, they’re paper laminated with plastic and adhesive polymers,” explains plumber Kelly Russum.
That durable construction is exactly what makes them such a headache for your plumbing system. Here’s why.
They Don’t Break Down
Unlike food scraps that eventually decompose, produce stickers are built to last. “Produce stickers are typically made from plastic or vinyl,” says plumber Shaylin King. “They aren’t biodegradable or water-soluble.”
That means once a sticker enters your plumbing system, it doesn’t magically disappear. “Produce stickers stay intact in pipes and never fully dissolve, and this is what makes them a potential problem,” Russum adds. Even if a single sticker seems to pass through without incident, it doesn’t break down—it simply moves downstream, where it can contribute to debris building up elsewhere in the system.
They Stick to Pipes and Disposals
That glue on produce stickers isn’t just strong enough to keep them attached to your apples and avocados at the grocery store—it can also cling to the inside of your plumbing. “They are also adhesive, which makes them different than food waste,” King explains. “They stick to garbage disposals and the insides of pipes.”
If you have a garbage disposal, you might assume it can handle these tiny stickers, but that’s not quite how it works. “They can be found tangled in the disposal mechanism and stuck to the blades of the garbage disposal,” King notes. While a produce sticker won’t jam the blades instantly, it can get stuck there and create problems over time.
They Create Catch Points for Debris
Perhaps the biggest issue with produce stickers is that they don’t act alone. Once a sticker adheres to the inside of a pipe, it becomes a starting point for bigger problems. “Since they don’t fall apart like regular paper or toilet paper, they stay inside sticking to the pipe wall and acting as a catch point for other debris and food particles,” Russum explains.
King agrees that stickers tend to compound with other debris. “Over time, multiple stickers can layer together or trap grease, eventually creating a clog,” she says. Certain areas of your plumbing are also more vulnerable than others. “Pipe joints, P-traps, slight offsets and long horizontal runs are the most vulnerable spots,” Russum says. These are areas where water flow slows down and stickers have a chance to grab on.
How to Protect Your Plumbing
The good news is that preventing plumbing problems caused by produce stickers is simple. “Remove the produce stickers and discard them in the trash before washing fruits and vegetables,” King advises. It takes just a second, but it can save you from costly repairs down the line.
Russum also recommends an inexpensive tool that can catch stickers and other small debris before they even enter your plumbing system.
“The best way to prevent produce stickers from going down the drain is to use drain strainers in your sink. It’s a $5 solution that prevents all small debris from going into the drain, not just produce stickers,” he says.
And while you’re at it, keep in mind that produce stickers aren’t the only small items that can cause big problems. “Beyond produce stickers, things that should not go down the drain include cooking grease, coffee grounds, eggshells and fibrous fruits,” King says. “These materials can stick to pipes, damage garbage disposals and cause blockages.”
Our Expert Take
“Homeowners might underestimate the impact of tiny things going down the drain, like produce stickers, because they don’t seem like something that can cause a clog,” says Russum. “And they actually don’t cause a clog right away, but they slowly build up over time and turn into larger blockages.”
The fix is easy: Peel off stickers before you rinse your produce and toss them in the trash. Your pipes—and your wallet—will thank you.
