No grease lightning: Initiative asks Kildare residents to ‘Think Before You Pour’ this Christmas

A new initiative is asking Kildare residents to 'Think Before You Pour' over the festive season.

Environmental group Clean Coasts, in partnership with Irish Water, is appealing to all budding chefs, home cooks, and most importantly, the 'washer-uppers' in County Kildare, to Think Before You Pour any Fats Oils or Greases (FOGs) down the kitchen sink.

Collaborating with well-known chefs Lilly Higgins and Kwanghi Chan, the campaign advises the public to allow FOGs to cool and then put in the bin to help prevent pipe blockages and protect the natural and built environment.

Sinead McCoy, Coastal Communities Manager at Clean Coasts, said about the new campaign: "This Christmas, Clean Coasts is asking everyone to help protect our environment by remembering to Think Before You Pour: this allows us all to undertake a small action in the kitchen which will have a huge, positive impact on our wastewater network and environment."

Tom Cuddy, Head of Operations at Irish Water, also said: "This Christmas let’s reduce the number of wastewater blockages backing up into our houses and gardens or spilling into the local environment.

"We want to remind the public not to use their kitchen sink as a bin. ‘Think before You Pour’: don’t pour those FOGs down the sink, but use a heat proof container to collect them, and put them in the bin once they have cooled."

Mr Cuddy continued: "This will help prevent pipe blockages and protect the natural and built environment.

"Every month Irish Water clears approximately 2,000 blockages from the wastewater network. 

"Let’s work together and keep our pipes free flowing."

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FINDINGS

Mr Cuddy also pointed to a recent survey which revealed that, over the past four years, there has been a positive reduction in the number of people regularly pouring damaging items down the sink (50 per cent in 2018 to 34 per cent in 2022).

However, this still means that approximately 3 out of 10 people are still pouring FOGs down the kitchen sink. 

County Kildare is part of the Eastern & Midlands region of counties, which, when surveyed, revealed that 41 per cent of people in the region are uncertain as to how they should responsibly dispose of FOGs.

The issue with FOGs is that, although they may seem like liquid when poured, they actually cool and harden as they travel along the pipes and can cause blockages in homes, businesses, the public sewer network and wastewater treatment plants.

They can even lead to overflows of sewage in local communities and pollution in rivers, on beaches and in the ocean.

When FOGs combine with wipes and other sewage related litter such as hair and dental floss that shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet, 'fatbergs' can form.