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Bread and ‘dripping’ a thing of the past? Giant fatberg causes chaos in city

Jan 10, 2019

Bread and 'dripping 'appears to be a thing of the past, with UK residents pouring fat and oil down the sink. Source: Flickr

Most Baby Boomers are aware that cooking oil should never be poured down the sink, but the message still isn’t getting through to some people in parts of the world. In fact, many households appear to be shying away from using leftover fat and grease to whip up other tasty creations and are instead opting to pour it down the drain.

Using leftover fats for delicious recipes such as bread and ‘dripping’ may no longer be a thing of the norm, with UK water services company South West Water asking Sidmouth residents to refrain from dumping their unwanted fats and oils down the drain. The warning came after a giant fatberg was discovered in the city’s sewage system.

Fatbergs form in drains and sewers when cooking oils and fats that are tipped down drains combine with other foreign materials such as wet wipes that also shouldn’t be making their way down the sewer. Unfortunately, the cooler winter climates currently being felt by the UK provides the perfect conditions for fatbergs to form.

“It is the biggest discovered in our service history and thought to be one of the largest found so close to the sea,” the company said in a statement.

South West Water tackle dozens of new sewer blockages every day, which adds £4.5 million (AU$8M, US$5.7 million) to bills every year.

“It will take our sewer team around eight weeks to remove it from the sewer under some exceptionally challenging conditions. It’s the first time we have excavated a fatberg of this size and the confined space might mean it takes us a little longer or shorter,” the company added.

People are more likely to be cooking heartier meals such as roasts, soups and casseroles that are higher in fats because of the cooler climate in the UK. While it can be easy to jam these leftovers down a sink and forget about them, there’s a better way to dispose of scraps that could cause bigger problems down the track.

“If you keep just one new year’s resolution this year, let it be to not pour fats, oil or grease down the drain or flush anything other than the 3Ps – pee, paper and poo – down the loo,” they added.

Devon’s largest #fatberg has been discovered in Sidmouth. It's a whopping 64 metres long, that's over 6 double-decker buses back-to-back 🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌😷#ThinkSink 👉 Don't pour cooking oil, fat and grease down the sink#LoveYourLoo 👉 Only flush the #3Ps – pee, paper and poo pic.twitter.com/fTtd2vazLc

— South West Water (@SouthWestWater) January 8, 2019

People online were quick to share their own advice for safely disposing of cooking oil and fats. One person wrote: “You should pour it into a container that can be thrown away in the trash once the oil cools. Some oil can be saved and reused, in which case pour into jar, put lid on, store until needed, reuse for frying, etc.”

Another said: “The best way I’ve found to get rid of extra grease is to soak it up with toilet paper then throw in the garbage.”

A third person added: “You learn it as a kid. Pour hot grease in a can or wait for it to solidify and throw it out.”

For many Boomers, particularly those who grew up in Australia or the UK, this would never be a problem. It wasn’t uncommon for families in many households to actually use leftover fats in cooking. One favourite for many families was bread and ‘dripping’ – which essentially used the fat left in a pan after cooking as a roast. Others used leftover fat to make gravy, crispy baked potatoes and even other roast dinners.

Fatbergs were also a problem in Australia last year, with Queensland Urban Utilities asking Brisbane residents to refrain from dumping their unwanted fats and oils down the drain after a spike in fatbergs were detected in the city.

“Hot cooking fats go down the sink as liquid, but when they enter the sewer they cool and solidify into a smell mass,” Queensland Urban Utilities Spokesperson Sally Prosser said at the time. “The pipes are colder in winter, so this solidification process happens faster and can cause blockages in your household plumbing as well as our system.”