How you can help in the kitchen

Used water is the only thing you should put down your sink.

Most pipes from homes are no bigger in size than a coffee mug and easily get blocked with food waste, fats oils and grease and unflushables. 

No form of kitchen appliance can chop or process food, small enough to flow safely through sewers. 

Currently,  80% of sewer blockages we clear are avoidable and caused by items, like food debris that should go in the bin. Food waste in the sewers can also attract rodents and vermin. 

Blocked sewers can lead to sewer flooding in homes and pollution of the local environment, which is distressing, costly to put right, and potentially devastating for wildlife and our local waterways and seas.

The best way to dispose of food waste safely and sustainably for the community and environment is collecting it together in a food caddy and/or recycle it in a specialist compost system such as a garden food digester, which takes both green waste and food (cooked food, meat and bones, and small amounts of fat). 

Here are some good ways to prevent bad smells and blockages:

• used cooking oil should never be poured down the sink. Instead recycle it, compost at home or wait until it is cool, pour into a plastic bottle with a lid, and take to a Household Waste Recycling Centre for recycling. Check with your local council for details. Small amounts of fats can be deposited in a hot compost system, or garden food digester, as can cooked meat and bones. Never put in a normal compost which can only take garden waste and vegetable peelings. Find out more information on compost systems

• use kitchen towel to absorb cooled liquid fat from cooking pans and trays

• leftovers, peelings and food scraps should never go down the sink. Use a sink strainer to stop them going down the plughole and empty into the bin, food waste bin or a composting system designed to take this kind of waste (see above)

• fat in the sewers is pretty disgusting. If you’d like to see for yourself, watch our video showing the build-up of fat down a sewer.

In the bathroom

The three ‘Ps’ (pee, poo and toilet paper) are the only things that should go down the loo.

What to do to keep it clear:

• a bin is the best place for all your unflushable waste. Put one by the loo, so nobody’s tempted to flush rubbish
• put wipes, cotton wool, floss and cotton buds in the bin
• use bags or toilet paper to discreetly dispose of sanitary products waste – again, in the bin
• sink strainers are good at catching hair that could otherwise block the plughole in your shower or bath.

How does keeping things clear help?

We can all take action to ensure cleaned water is returned safely to rivers and seas by keeping waste out of our sinks and toilets. If we all recycle where we can and use bins for our waste, it can also save us time and money.

Keeping things clear also means we use less water and carbon in unblocking sewer pipes and pumps, – it’s all part of our overall aim to love every drop.