Fatberg fighting message hits home as blockages fall by a quarter
Aug 28, 2017
An awareness campaign encouraging east London residents to do their bit in Thames Water’s war on fatbergs, has seen a 26 per cent reduction in sewer blockages.
Almost 70 per cent of people in parts of Newham, Redbridge, Havering, Epping Forest and Barking and Dagenham say they’ve changed their behaviour when it comes to disposing of cooking fat and wipes following a campaign urging them to “Bin it – don’t block it” last autumn. Thames Water targeted the boroughs after identifying them as sewer blockage hotspots.
During the campaign posters depicting a fatty roasting tin and a wet wipe, alongside poems about the impact blocked sewers have on private pipes and pockets were emblazoned across east London and featured in local newspapers. A more direct approach also saw matching leaflets and fat traps, to store used coking fat and oil, sent to 51,000 homes.
The campaign was followed up by a survey to measure its success which showed it to be Thames Water’s most effective yet with 88% of people admitting it made them think about how they dispose of wipes and more than half saying they use their free fat trap rather than pouring leftover fat, oil and grease down the sink.
Head of wastewater networks at Thames Water Matt Rimmer said: “A big thank you to everyone who has taken our advice on board which is clearly making a difference. We need those people to keep up the good work and help us spread the ‘Bin it – don’t block it’ message to others so we can reduce the number of sewer blockages even further.”
Adverts on social media at the same time as the campaign were also a huge success and led to an 8,000% increase in the number of people visiting Thames Water’s special ‘Bin it’ website featuring advice on disposing of fat and demonstration showing how wipes block pipes.
Matt added: “Eight times every hour one of our customers suffers a blockage caused by items being flushed away or put down the drain which shouldn’t be so it’s vital we get people to change their ways. It’s simple - nothing other than waste water should go down the sink and only the three ps’ – poo, pee and (toilet) paper can be flushed down the loo.”
Advice on how to safely dispose of fat and wipes can found on www.thameswater.co.uk/binit
More News and Articles
Apr 19, 2024
News
WATCH: Overnight with SAERTEX-LINER H20 in São Paulo
Available through Pipe Core, high-quality liner SAERTEX-LINER H20 performed under pressure in São Paulo, Brazil.
Apr 17, 2024
News
Immersive media provides wastewater experience in Denmark
An immersive media experience (IMX) may not be what most people want when they think about industrial wastewater, but that is exactly what visitors can expect when they visit a new installation in the city of Kalundborg, Denmark.
Apr 15, 2024
News
Spotlight on gender diversity at Pipe Core
Since founding in 2008, Pipe Core’s team has grown across all areas of the business and is now in a position where there are more females than males across the organisation. Research published in Harvard Business Review found that “countries …
Apr 12, 2024
News
New Wave of Startups Scale Innovation to Solve Global Water Challenges
Innovators from Around the World Join Xylem’s 2024 Accelerator Program to Deploy Breakthrough Innovations for Utilities and Industrial Users of Water
Apr 08, 2024
News
Integrated sustainable electricity and clean drinking water systems
Altitude Water and New Use Energy Solutions have partnered to create integrated, mobile solar-plus-water generation systems that produce sustainable electricity and clean drinking water anytime, anywhere.
Apr 05, 2024
News
How to Evaluate Hydraulic Fracture Risk in HDD Design
The design of horizontal directional drill (HDD) installations often requires an evaluation of the potential for hydraulic fracture of the soil layers through which an HDD passes. Evaluating this risk during the design process is an important planning tool to …
Apr 02, 2024
News
Historic Project Linking Rome and Vatican City Uses Advanced Technology and Local Knowledge to Keep Water Flowing
Relocation of Major Sewer Infrastructure Enables Construction of Pedestrian Link for 35 Million Visitors to the 2025 Jubilee
Mar 27, 2024
News
USU Study Looks at Water Main Break Rates in the U.S. and Canada
Report Highlights Correlation Between Material and Diameter
Mar 26, 2024
News
Update BE-21: New Material in Course and Modules on Trenchless Pipe Installation
Online training on the topic of pipeline installation in civil engineering: Trenchless technology for underground drainage construction can be a resource-efficient, environmentally friendly, time-saving, and cost-effective alternative to open cut methods. The UNITRACC e-learning course "Utility Tunnelling" has been enhanced …
Mar 25, 2024
Article
Bacteria as a new weapon in wastewater treatment
In early November, San Diego based startup Aquacycl officially opened its first European office and test center at the Water Campus in Leeuwarden. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) and the Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands (NOM) …
Mar 22, 2024
News
A superior HDD offering
Building on its relationships with leading horizontal directional drilling companies, TRACTO Australia has delivered three new rigs to operator Superior HDD.
Mar 20, 2024
News
New portable water filtration technology could improve access to clean drinking water worldwide
The University of Texas at Austin has developed an injectable water filtration system with the aim to aid the over two billion people worldwide who are without clean drinking water.