Water Corp sends festive warning about fatbergs

FATBERGS. From Munster to London these large lumps of congealed fat and wet wipes are forming monsters in our sewerage system.

And with Christmas just around the corner, the Water Corporation is reminding households not to pour fat, oil and grease down the sink.

Water Corporation spokeswoman Clare Lugar said many people mistakenly thought it was ok to pour fat from Christmas lunch or dinner straight down the sink.

“If this solidifies in your home’s internal plumbing or wastewater pipes it creates a blockage, which can cause wastewater to back up in the system and possibly overflow,” she said.

“That is not the kind of gift you want to receive this Christmas, especially if it occurs inside your home.

“Pour fat from your Christmas ham and grease from the barbecue into a container and dispose of it in the bin. Also, don’t dispose of food scraps down the sink, these also belong in the bin.

“This extra effort will protect your home and the 13,000km of wastewater mains we look after across Perth and Mandurah.

“In 2016-17, nearly 40 per cent all wastewater blockages in Perth were caused by fat, oil, grease and items such as rags and wet wipes accumulating in the wastewater system.

“All of which are avoidable if these are disposed of correctly.”

Last year, a fatberg was discovered in London that was more than 250m long and the size of 11 double-decker buses; it was mostly congealed fat, wet wipes and nappies.

Closer to home, last year near Newcastle in NSW, a 7m-long blockage of congealed wet wipes weighing 750km was pulled from the wastewater system.

Perth experienced its own monster about five years ago, when a congealed mass of rags, wet wipes and other things formed a giant ball which was removed at a wastewater pump station in Munster.

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