TasWater has uncovered a troubling bathroom trend ahead of World Toilet Day with 231 Tasmanians admitting to dropping their smartphones into toilets in the past year—a sharp jump from 2024.
The surge coincides with more people scrolling while “on the throne”, according to the utility’s annual survey. The survey of more than 1300 Tasmanians also revealed regional hygiene habits, with northern residents more likely to close the toilet lid before flushing than their southern counterparts and found most Tasmanians don’t know where their wastewater goes after flushing.
Media release – TasWater, 18 November 2025
Worrying new trend – Toilet phone drop incidents surge in Tasmania
TasWater has uncovered a worrying trend in bathrooms across the state – with a sharp spike in the number of mobile phones ending up in Tassie toilets in the past year.
The results come out of TasWater’s 2025 World Toilet Day Survey, where 231 Tasmanians admitted to dropping their smartphone into the toilet, a sharp jump from the 2024 survey.
That follows the trend of more people using their phones while ‘on the throne’ – with scrolling on their smartphone the most common activity for people using the bathroom in 2025.
The result was just one of several surprising statistics that have come out of TasWater’s 2025 Toilet Survey, conducted to coincide with World Toilet Day tomorrow.
In other surprising results:
The number one frustration for Tasmanians, when it comes to using the loo, is their partner taking too long.
Most Tasmanians flush their toilets between four and six times a day – using around 30 litres of water a day!
We’re a state of folders, with three in four Tasmanians folding their toilet paper when visiting the loo, as opposed to just one in four who scrunch it.
There’s a big gap across the state when it comes to bathroom cleanliness, with almost 55 per cent of respondents from southern Tasmania not closing their toilet lid before flushing, believing “germs can’t fly that high, right?”
Meanwhile, northern Tasmanians identify as “Hygiene Heros”, with more than half of respondents closing the lid before pressing flush.
TasWater Acting General Manager Customer and Community Kate Crawford said the results are not surprising, with TasWater discovering a range of items ending up in our sewerage network.
“Pleasingly though, the results show that most Tasmanians know that only the 3Ps – pee, poo and (toilet) paper – should go down the toilet.
“More worryingly however, the survey shows more than 30 per cent of respondents don’t know where their wastewater goes after the toilet is flushed. The truth is that the wastewater goes to a sewage treatment plant, is treated and then returned to the environment.
“It’s incredible that 38 per cent of treatment plants operated by a major utility across Australia are in Tasmania, servicing just two percent of the nation’s population.
“But many of these plants are in urgent need of repair.
That’s why TasWater is planning record investment in Tasmania’s water and sewerage assets – through our Price and Service Plan 5 (PSP5) Proposal.
“In our PSP5 Proposal, we plan to invest $1.7 billion in community infrastructure over the four-year period – driving infrastructure improvements, unlocking capacity for new housing and supporting thousands of Tasmanian jobs.
“In fact, three-quarters of the more than 1300 Tasmanians who responded to our survey said they would be willing to add $5 on their bill each month if it meant we could upgrade the sewer network to prevent blockages and protect our unique Tassie environment.”
But while the results of the survey are a bit of fun, Crawford said World Toilet Day actually has an important message.
“While it’s easy to take toilets for granted, around 3.5 billion people worldwide still lack access to safe sanitation,” she said.
“To thank everyone for taking the survey, TasWater will be donating almost $3,000 to Water Aid, which works to improve water access across the world.
“So, whether you’re in Hobart, Burnie or somewhere in between, take a moment today to appreciate your toilet.
It’s doing more for your health and the planet than you might think.”
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