Fat, oil and grease
Fat, oil and grease often end up being washed down the kitchen sink but this can cause big problems for your pipes and our sewers.
62,380 tonnes produced in the UK every year
At just 4 inches (10cm) wide, the average sewer is smaller than you think and so it's important we limit what we put down our drains. Not only do fat, oil and grease (FOG) turn solid in our sewers, they bind together all the unwanted guests that make their way down there too.
This causes giant ‘fatbergs’ that block our sewers and restrict the flow of wastewater through our network, causing flooding in homes, businesses and streets. They also put extra strain on our wastewater pumping stations, increasing the risk of pollution in local streams and bathing waters.
Did you know?
Every year, fat, oil and grease cause huge problems throughout our network and we spend millions clearing blockages that could have been easily prevented.
3,000 homes
are flooded in the UK each year because of blockages caused by a build up of fat, oil and grease.
£90 million
is spent every year on clearing fat, oil and grease blockages across the country.
20,000 blockages
occur in our sewers from fat, oil and grease and over 60% are preventable
Did you know?
Every year, fat, oil and grease cause huge problems throughout our network and we spend millions clearing blockages that could have been easily prevented.
3,000 homes
are flooded in the UK each year because of blockages caused by a build up of fat, oil and grease.
£90 million
is spent every year on clearing fat, oil and grease blockages across the country.
20,000 blockages
occur in our sewers from fat, oil and grease and over 60% are preventable
How to get rid of fat, oil and grease
66% of blockages are preventable. Follow these tips for getting rid of your kitchen waste properly.
Clear your plates
Scrape any leftover food from plates, pans or cooking utensils into the bin. Use kitchen roll to soak it up if the food isn’t solid, like yoghurt and gravy.
Use containers to collect fat and oil
Use butter tubs, yoghurt pots, jam jars or another container to collect cooled fat and oil. When they're full, put them in the bin.
Wipe before washing
Wipe off any excess grease or oil with kitchen roll before washing your plates, pots and pans. Even with washing up liquid and hot water, it turns solid in your pipes.
Our FOG team in action
We have a dedicated FOG and team who work around the clock to clear blockages and educate people on what they can and can't put down their loo.
Since 2016 our team have:
- had 175,000 face-to-face conversations with customers
- surveyed 23,000 manholes
- found 1,050 blockages
- cleared 610 blockages themselves
- prevented 127 internal floods
- prevented 62 external floods
- delivered 523 presentations
- attended 124 public events
Our teams regularly send cameras into our sewers to find the cause of fat blockages. Recently they discovered and removed a 50kg fatberg in Horsham.
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