Keep Fats, Oils and Grease in the Trash Where They Belong
In February 2021, a brewing toxic mess of waste comprised of such culprits as wet wipes, diapers, sanitary pads, cotton swabs and other detritus fused with fats, oils and grease from kitchens and bathrooms across London had congealed to form The Fatberg. Enter a group of engineers from Thames Water in London helped along by a London cleaning service and two weeks later, the workers had finally cleared the “fatberg” that had wedged itself into the sewers under the city and refused to budge. It should be no surprise that battling The Fatberg in London’s underground sewer was no one’s idea of a great day at the office.
Luckily for Londoners, these fearless workers got to The Fatberg in time before it had solidified even further, the probable result of which would have been sewer backups into people’s homes for weeks. We all wish that what goes on underground would stay underground, but that isn’t always the case with sewers because what goes into the underground often shouldn’t be there in the first place and that causes all kinds of horrible results for the people above ground.
Fats, oils and grease, or FOG as we refer to it in here in the U.S. is by-product of cooking — meats, dairy, vegetable oils, etc. — and has no business being rinsed, stuffed or shoved down a sink drain. By themselves perhaps they are not so much of a bother, but when combined with non-biodegradables such as the infamous wet wipe — if wet wipes were a person, they’d be an outlaw like Jesse James, or Wild Bill Hickok — sanitary napkins, last night’s dinner, and whatever else people flush down their toilets and sinks and you have a recipe for a fatberg.
In the U.S. federal regulation has discouraged the dumping of fats, oil and grease down the drain since the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (signed into law in 1948) was amended in 1972 to become the Clean Water Act. According to the U.S. EPA, “grease from restaurants, homes, and industrial sources are the most common cause (47%) of reported blockages. Grease is problematic because it solidifies, reduces conveyance capacity, and blocks flow.” Regulations prohibit “solid or viscous pollutants in amounts which will cause obstruction” from being sent to the publicly owned treatment works (POTW) or into its collection system which includes the pipes in the ground leading from people’s homes and establishments to the collection system.
In the U.S. under the Clean Water Act, POTWs operate waste water treatment plants in accordance with a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit which sets standards for what can be discharged into rivers and streams where the POTW’s effluent is released, standards to deal with operation and maintenance of the plant, and standards to deal with FOG, among many other things. Those POTWs are responsible for enforcing standards for the kind of waste being sent to their facility which ensures the waste is treated to the permitted effluent levels. For some businesses, a certain amount of pretreatment prior to discharge to the POTW is required. Residences, however, are a different story.
To keep the risk of backups caused by residences to a minimum, POTWs take the public education and outreach components of their permits seriously. After all, it doesn’t matter how many health inspectors you have, you simply can’t have someone siting in everyone’s kitchen for 24 hours a day, hoping to stop them from flushing the bacon grease down the drain. And since no one wants overzealous law enforcement in their homes or restaurants, educating the public about the dangers of FOG is crucial. For all you know, a fatberg could be coalescing under your town today so best to be informed.
Thames Water, the largest water and wastewater utility in the U.K. has asked people to only flush “the 3Ps – pee, poo and paper,” and has started an ad campaign, “bin it, don’t block it,” to get people to pay attention. In fact, the most effective method for dealing with FOG is to not put it down the drain in the first place.
So be a good neighbor. Skip the drain and use that aluminum can your stewed tomatoes came in for the excess grease. Your sewer lines will remain as free and clear as a paid-off mortgage, and your local waste water treatment plant will reward you with free-flowing pipes, fewer sewer backups, and less pollution in your local waterways. You owe it to yourself and your neighbors.
And if you or anyone in your family has experienced issues with sanitation, let your local municipality know.
Thanks for reading.
pam lazos 4.18.22
Green Life Blue Water 
I remember as a kid watching my mom collect grease in old jars under the sink to be disposed later and had no clue why. When I was a bit older and saw what that grease does to pipes–on the news, I think?–I realized NO WONDER why she never poured that stuff down the drain.
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Same here, Jean, but with everyone using garbage disposals, I wonder if they even realize what they’re doing to their pipes!
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Probably not! Out of sight, out of mind….
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ha!
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all the more reason for us to eat healthy — & am often impressed by how we truly can remedy the terrible things we do to mother nature… great post, Pam
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Thank you, da-AL!🌺
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I had no idea! My husband lectures me not to put grease down the drain because it clogs the pipes. So we don’t do it, but now I can feel like I’m helping the environment rather than humoring my husband!
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A fine turn of events!😂
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We’re a weird lot in the UK – Greg James, one of our Radio 1 DJ’s, broadcast 30 minutes of his show from the London Fatberg. I suppose it did raise awareness of the issue. A bit.
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Oh my gosh, that’s hilarious!!🤣😂
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Yes, it was funny. He was right next to it – you could hear him trying not to be sick!
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Imagine the smell!!😂
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Thanks for raising this issue, Pam. I’m happy to report that my days for FOG-styled cooking are long past.
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👏👏👏
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People put fats, oils, and grease down the kitchen sink drain?!! I’m flabbergasted and cannot imagine doing that. I’m not sure how to process that fact, but will say I think it’s awful.
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🤣😂
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Hi Pam – yes that fatberg was foul and they’ve found them in other places. Sadly people are not responsible – be it for fats, for litter, for vandalism … you’ll enjoy my next #WATWB post! I’ll be back to read this properly then … cheers Hilary
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Well, I’ll have to disagree about that, Hilary. We all do need to do our part. But I’m interested to hear your theory! 😘
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I thought I said that! Everyone needs to do their part – it’s just people aren’t responsible for the mess they make – be it oil/fat, or litter, or vandalism … no theory – just a way of dealing with sewage and new approaches at sewage works. Not long now! Cheers Hilary
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Oooooooh, I get it! You were lamenting the fact that people are not responsible. I’m right there with you, Hilary. 😂
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Great post as always, dear Pam; water is life! We must stay awake. 🤗🙏💖
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Ah, so true, Aladin.
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Ghastly. It’s a sewerage obesity crisis. Apparently the smell is beyond disgusting too.
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A sewerage obesity crisis! Now that evokes some interesting visuals, Geoff. 😂
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It’s gross in every sense…
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🤢
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We have that problem here in Michigan, but not in my county. They’ve shown us pictures on social media sites of the Fatbergs and it is amazing! The Macomb County Fatberg was about 100 feet long, 10 feet wide and as much as 6 feet tall when it was discovered and broken up. It weighed about 19 tons.
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Oh my gosh, Linda, 19 tons?!?!😂😂😂
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Yes Pam – it is massive and Macomb County just had another one recently. I will send you a separate YouTube video of this one I’ve referenced and mention it in case it goes to your junk filter.
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Oh, yuck!! This is terrible but I guess it could be worse. It could be above ground!
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Yes, you have to wonder what possesses people to think before tossing. Thankfully it is not above ground … it would be a full-time operation keeping it clean and unclogged!
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🤣
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Here is a video they made of the Fatberg … it was all over the news as PSAs to ensure other county residents did not cause a problem. Unbelievable!
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The poor people who have to clean it all up, right Linda?!🤪
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Yes Pam – I really fell for them!
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Always good advice Pam. We just have to pay attention to what we’re doing.
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😘👏🙌
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The workers in London who cleaned up that mess deserved an extra month’s pay.
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Oh my gosh, right, Neil?! You couldn’t pay me enough!
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My mother trapped oils and grease way before this (1950’s)! Mother liked Environmental issues!
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Of course she did, Bill! That’s where you got it from!👏😂
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