Don't tip that turkey fat to prevent sewer flooding
| Published: 21st December 2007 21:11 |
Tipping left over fat and grease from the Christmas turkey down the kitchen sink could cause some unwelcome woes this holiday, and the Consumer Council for Water is calling for customers to think twice before dumping fat, oil or grease down the drain.
While mince pies, mulled wine and Christmas pudding lull the nation to sleep there may be disaster lurking in the pipes.
Nearly a third of all sewer flooding is caused by fat and grease being put down the sink and an estimated 25% more fat ends up in drains and sewers over the Christmas period.
It is all too easy to simply rinse the fat and oil from greasy pots and pans down the drain with hot water, but as the fat cools it will thicken again, building up and blocking pipes over time, forcing wastewater and even sewage to back up.
Nearly 6,000 homes were flooded by sewage in England and Wales last year and nearly 30,000 other areas were affected by sewer flooding externally.
As well as being very distressing, sewer flooding in or around the home is a serious health risk. One gram of faeces can contain up to 1 billion types of viruses, bacteria and parasite cysts.
And, the costs of pouring fats, oils and grease down the drain can quickly add up for companies and customers. Any drains or private sewers that carry waste away from the home are the homeowner's responsibility, both inside and outside the property boundary until the point where they connect with the public sewers. Problems on this side of the sewers are repaired at the homeowner's expense.
The sewerage company is only responsible for public sewers. In most cases these are in roads or public open spaces but in certain circumstances they may run through private gardens.
If a blockage in the public sewer leads to sewage flooding a home or garden, water and sewerage companies should react quickly to clear up the mess, disinfect the property and provide compensation if appropriate as soon as possible.
How can kitchen waste be disposed of safely? Fat, oil and grease should be poured into an empty container with a lid or wiped out of the tray with kitchen roll and put in the bin. Most water companies provide 'fat traps' free of charge to collect kitchen waste and then be thrown away.
Diane McCrea from the Consumer Council for Water, said: "Having the home flooded with sewage is very unpleasant and companies should provide the best customer service possible to prevent it happening in the first place.
"However, customers have a vital role to play too by disposing of fats, oils and grease responsibly to help reduce blockages. Clearing blockages is a cost to companies which unfortunately gets passed onto all customers' bills."
Visit http://www.ccwater.org.uk for information and to find out how to put that turkey fat to good use by recycling it into a bird cake!
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