Don't drain the festive fat - #binit4beaches

This festive season we're supporting the #binit4beaches campaign, asking people across the UK to help keep our beaches clean by making sure all their leftover cooking fats, oils and greases (FOGs) are put in the bin rather than poured down the sink.

If leftover fat from cooking the Christmas dinner goes down the sink, even with hot water and washing up liquid, it soon sets hard in the cold pipes. When it mixes with other unflushable items, such as wet wipes and sanitary products, it creates what is known as a fatberg.

The Fatbergs then clog the sewerage pipes and stop the waste water reaching the treatment works as intended. This means the risk of sewage spilling out into homes, streets, rivers and seas is substantially increased.

98.3% of bathing waters in England met the tough standards for water quality in 2017, thanks to significant improvements made through high levels of investment. We all need to play our part to continue these environmental improvements.

The problem of (FOGs) can easily be avoided, but we need everyone's help in the kitchen. Make sure you follow these simple steps this Christmas and give the gift of clean rivers and seas for 2018 and beyond:

1. Scrape or pour leftover fat from roasting trays and pans into a heat resistant container then recycle or bin it once cooled
2. Wipe out grease left in pans with kitchen roll before washing
3. Use a sink strainer to catch any greasy food scraps

With the majority of UK residents cooking a delicious meal on the 25th December it’s important that this message is shared widely in order to protect our environment.

Water UK Communications
0207 344 1805