Help fight the festive fat with South West Water

22nd December 2014

South West Water is teaming up with supermarkets Sainsbury's and Waitrose and water companies across the UK to encourage customers not to cause pains in the drain this Christmas.

Each year, thousands of sewer blockages are caused by people pouring cooking fat, oil and grease (FOG), down their kitchen sinks. These blockages can lead to flooding inside homes and businesses and are expensive to clear - money that could be saved on customers' bills.

South West Water is now working with the two retailers to give away 1,000 fat traps and 5,500 fat funnels to people buying their turkey or roast from Waitrose, or ordering online from Sainsbury's this Christmas, contributing to more than 200,000 across the UK.  The traps and funnels can be used to collect waste FOG for recycling or disposal via the bin.

South West Water's Head of Waste Water, Richard Gilpin, said: "At Christmas, the volume of cooking fat entering the sewers increases dramatically - taking small steps such as putting unwanted cooking fat, oil and grease in a container rather than down the drain will help reduce this."

"When the fat cools, it hardens, clogging pipes. It's not just our sewer pipes that suffer, household pipes can get blocked too which may result in hefty repair bills."

"We're advising customers to use the free fat trap, fat funnel or simply to pour their fat and oil into a container, and once it's cooled scrape it into the bin."

Paul Crewe, Head of Sustainability for Sainsbury's, commented: "We're proud to be distributing over 130,000 fat traps and funnels nationwide this year.  As well as keeping Britain's waste water network flowing, the cooking oil and fat captured from your roast this Christmas could be turned into bio-fuel to power vehicles.'

Quentin Clark, Waitrose's Head of Sustainability and Ethical Sourcing, added: "Fat in the sewers is a big problem, particularly at this time of year. Here at Waitrose, we are committed to supporting local communities and helping to reduce this problem across the country.

"By encouraging our customers to use our free fat-traps, we can dramatically cut the percentage of damage caused to drains by fat, oil and grease"

Free fat traps will be available, while stocks last, at participating Waitrose stores. Sainsbury's will be sending out 130,000 fat traps and funnels with online deliveries. Terms and conditions apply.

Further information on disposing of fat, oil and grease safely is available via http://www.southwestwater.co.uk/sewerflooding

To find out more about the campaign visit www.bitc.org.uk/stopdrainpain   

Published: 22 December 2014