People who pour the liquid down the sink have been warned of the unpleasant concequences
Anyone who drains liquids from tinned tuna down their sink has been urged to stop in a new warning. Although the act may seem harmless, it could lead to severe consequences not only for your kitchen drains but also for your neighbourhood sewer system.
On Friday (June 26), BBC DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles appeared on Morning Live to talk about fatbergs. These are the large, solid clogs made up of fats, oils, and greases that mix with other materials, leading to serious issues in sewer systems and drains.
Fatbergs can cause serious flooding in properties, lead to raw sewage overflowing into rivers, harbour antibiotic-resistant superbugs, and result in millions of pounds spent on manual, high-pressure extraction. If you think there’s a blockage near your home, the first thing you should do is contact your water company.
To reduce your risk of unpleasant consequences from a fatberg, Nick Knowles warned people not to pour certain food items down toilets and sink drains. One item he pointed out was tinned tuna liquid.
“Don’t pour your oils down the sink. I mean, most people know not to pour oils down your sink in the bathroom or in your kitchen now. But actually, most of us will drain a tin of tuna into the sink. With the oil that’s in a tin of tuna, or maybe the fat from an air fryer, or coffee grounds, all these things, add to create a block.”
To avoid plumbing clogs and fatbergs, keep oils and fats away from your pipes. Instead, you can soak up small amounts of liquid with paper towels and throw them in the bin, pour it into a sealed jar or use it directly for cooking.
After cooking food with oil, Nick recommends letting the oil cool down completely, then scraping it into a container you’re throwing away. “Like a baked bean tin or anything else that you’re throwing, and put them in the bin and get rid of them that way”, he said.
Other items he says people should avoid pouring down their drains include food grease, food scraps and coffee grounds. He also issued a warning to anyone with a toilet at home.
He told viewers to never put cotton buds, nappies or wet wipes down the toilet. He said: “Wet wipes in particular… All the governments, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, are going to be stopping the use of plastics in wet wipes, which will actually be a major boon in terms of stopping that happening.”
Nick also shared a list of warning signs that there’s likely a blockage in your drains or your neighbourhood’s sewer systems. These include:
- slow draining
- odours
- gurgling noises
- pooling water by manholds
To give viewers an idea of just how large fatbergs can get, Nick provided some alarming size comparisons. He said: “In cities, you can go on tours and walk through the drains. A fatberg found near Terminal Five at Heathrow was the size of seven hundred suitcases, or the equivalent of five football pitches.”
