Severn Trent’s community partnerships are reducing the number of drain blockages because of fats, oils and greases, says the company, which clears about 30,000 blockages from the waste network every year, and each week pulls two and a half tonnes of wet wipes from sewers – the weight of a Range Rover.
However, the company says its ‘Be A Binner, Not A Blocker’ message has proved a huge success throughout the last year, including over the summer Olympics in France with 14 million litres of FOG successfully cleared from sewers, saving customers unnecessary and potentially costly issues if it caused problems in homes.
The work includes a ground-breaking new partnership with local Gurdwaras across the region, including in Birmingham and the Black Country. The campaign, run in conjunction with Environmental Compliance & Services, Lifecycle Oils, and community group Gurdwara Aid, sees fat-traps installed at the Sikh places of worship to collect the FOG, rather than it going down sinks or drains.
Other Food Service Establishments have also signed up for the FOG-trapping scheme, including Nandos restaurants in the East and West Midlands.
Grant Mitchell, sewer blockage lead at Severn Trent, said: “With the help of our Be A Binner, Not a Blocker message we have collected some 14m litres of fats, oils and greases that may otherwise have been poured into out sewers.
“That is close to six Olympic sized swimming pools of FOG – putting us in podium position in terms of this campaign!”
He added: “Blockages like these are a real menace as they can lead to flooding if not detected and dealt with. Putting the wrong things down the toilet or drain can have a devastating impact on communities and the environment and we know blockages can be a horrible experience for our customers.
“We can all play a part in helping keep our sewers free of fats, oils and greases. To do that, it’s vital we put fats, oils and any food in the bin, and remember to only ever flush the 3 Ps down the toilet too – poo, pee and paper.”
