with Cassie this Christmas
Oil I want for Christmas is fatberg free drains!
It’s easy to assume that the warm grease left in your pan or roasting dish after cooking a delicious Christmas dinner would be okay to pour down the sink, and that if you wash it with soapy water it will be fine. However, Fats Oils and Greases (FOGs) may seem like liquid when poured down the sink, but they cool and harden after being washed away and can lead to the creation of the dreaded fatberg. Fatbergs are a combination of FOGs with sanitary waste such as wet wipes and are not pretty. FOGs should never be washed down the sink, especially over the festive season!
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 expensive blockages are cleared from the Irish public wastewater network every year.
So what can we do to avoid a Christmas drain disaster?
So what can we do to avoid a Christmas drain disaster?
Cool, collect, bin
The first step to keeping your drains clear is to allow your FOGs from cooking to cool down, collect them in a suitable container (like an egg carton or a glass jar) and stick them in the bin.
Scrape and wipe
Next up, before washing your pates, 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 fatbergs. And that’s it! Three small steps towards being conscientious in the kitchen this holiday season!
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…