Two years in to their ‘Keep the cycle running’ campaign, Scottish Water have issued a reminder to watch what we stick down the drain this winter.
The stuff of festive meals and fry-ups, such as cooking fats, oils and grease can build up as it cools, causing blockages and congealed ‘fatbergs’ in sewer pipes, the authority has warned.
Although the number of reported blockages and sewer chokes has reduced by 10% from roughly 40,000 to 36,000 a year since the campaign’s introduction, Scottish Water say “there is still work to be done.”
Courier Country stats
• Dundee: 765 chokes reported in the last year, down from 815 in 2015.
• Broughty Ferry: 116 chokes, down from 150.
• Perth: 382 chokes, up 16 from 366.
• St Andrews: 87 chokes, down from 107.
• Cupar: 80 chokes, down from 129.
Customers are encouraged to educate themselves about what they can do to look out for their household and local environment as blockages threaten to impact wildlife and contaminate rivers.
Brian Lironi, director of external communications, said: “We thank customers who have listened and taken time to think and act responsibly.
“However, this means there are still 36,000 blockages every year, most of which could be avoided if we all followed the advice in Scottish Water’s campaign and knew our kitchen and bathroom checklists.
“The waste water drain which runs from your house to the public sewer is usually only about four inches wide, which is less than the diameter of a DVD.”
Disposing of festive waste:
• Leave any fat, oil or grease to cool.
• If you have a food waste recycling bin, scrape the cooled fat, oil or grease into your food waste bin.
• If you don’t have food waste recycling, put the waste in a sealable container (such as an empty jar) and put it in the bin.
In a further effort to raise public awareness, Scottish Water have previously disclosed a bizarre list of objects carelessly disposed in its sewers, from teddy bears and bicycles to pet snakes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPsYrIJ7OwI
