Despite water companies urging you not to pour oil, fat, gravy, sauces, or custards down our sinks or toilets, statistics show that 25% more waste is poured into the Great British drains on December 25th than any other time of the year.
On average an incredible 15 million cups of roasting juices are poured into down the kitchen sink on the big day – that’s almost enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool.
These fats can quickly lead to blockages in the sink, drain or toilet and an emergency call out on Christmas day is not the festive surprise you’ll have been hoping for. Blockages account for more than half of sewer flooding in the UK, but, if we take more care when disposing of fat, oils and greases over 3,000 homes may not be subject to water damage and the environmental impact could be significantly reduced.
So, after you’ve devoured your aunts best roast of the year, how do you dispose of the build-up when doing the dishes?
Here are Happy Drains top tips for food disposal on Christmas day.
1. Leave small amounts of fat, oil and grease to cool. Once cooled, scrape them into a container, box, or old paper (perhaps all that wrapping paper?) and then dispose of it in your appropriate outdoor bin.
2. Keep a fat trap or container in your kitchen that continually collects waste fats or oils, your local water company may even supply you with a fat trap (potential free Christmas present?)
3. Mix oils and fats with absorbent materials; coffee grounds and cat litter tend to be the best options for this. Once it has combined, it can be disposed of easily.
Our biggest tip for food disposal this Christmas? Keep it all away from the sink, from the smallest of crumbs to the thinnest custard, all these items stick to your pipes and begin the blockage process.
