The do’s and dont’s of healthy drains over the holidays
It’s that time of year again people! When Clean Coasts and Uisce Éireann call on all home cooks, kitchen experimenters and festive feast-makers across Ireland to Think Before You Pour. As households prepare for another season of indulgent roasts, gravies and treats, the campaign reminds everyone that leftover Fats, Oils and Greases (FOGs) should never go down the sink. Instead, the message is clear: Don’t make Pour Decisions – Bin it before you clog it! This year, Clean Coasts has partnered with food-loving couple Gina and Karol Daly, aka The Daly Dish, to highlight just how simple it is to prevent costly blockages and protect Ireland’s wastewater network. While hot fats may look harmless, they cool quickly inside pipes, causing hardened blockages that can clog plumbing, overwhelm wastewater systems and contribute to pollution in rivers, beaches and coastal areas.
Cool, collect, bin
The first step to keeping your drains clean and clear over Christmas is to allow your FOGs from cooking to cool down, collect them in a suitable container (like an egg carton) and stick them in the bin.
Scrape and wipe
Next up, before washing your plates, pots and pans, give them a wipe with some kitchen paper and stick that in the bin too. The idea here is to minimise the amount of grease from cooking going down the drain.
Use a sink strainer
Finally, use a sink strainer if you have one. This collects any small scraps of food that can also contribute to the creation of blockages and even fatberg’s. And that’s it! Three small steps towards being conscientious in the kitchen, protecting your plumbing and Irelands waste water network that we all rely on.
Wastewater blockages and our environment
When FOGs combine with wipes and other sanitary items that shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet, blockages can form in our homes, businesses, public sewer network and wastewater treatment plants. These blockages can even lead to overflows of sewage that can damage the environment. Thousands of blockages are cleared from the Irish public wastewater network every month.
Think Before You Flush
Think Before You Pour is part of the Think Before You Flush campaign, it brings the campaign from the bathroom to the kitchen. To learn more about the Think Before You Flush Campaign, head to our homepage below…
Think Before You Flush
Think Before You Pour is part of the Think Before You Flush campaign, it brings the campaign from the bathroom to the kitchen. To learn more about the Think Before You Flush Campaign, head to our homepage below…