Unblocktober is here!

In May this year, a fatberg made up of unflushable items, as tall as a 6 foot person and weighing 35 tonnes (the equivalent of 3 double decker buses), needed to be unblocked in am East London sewer!  It took over 11 days with a team of 20 to sort it (https://www.thameswater.co.uk/news/abbey-mills-fatberg).

Launched in 2019, Unblocktober (https://www.unblocktober.org/) is an attempt to educate us and improve the health of our drains, sewers, watercourses and seas.  In its first year, 4,500+ people across the country pledged to change their kitchen and bathroom habits at home/work. By 2023, a total of over 68,000 had been involved.

According to the Unblocktober website (https://www.unblocktober.org/), it’s estimated that:

• 11 million tonnes of plastic are dumped in the ocean every year
• 8 billion cotton buds are flushed down our toilets each year
• 48% of the British public pour fats, oils and grease (FOG) down their drains
• 48% of the British public have at some point flushed wet wipes down the loo
• Thames Water revealed that it removes approx. 19 billion wet wipes from its sewers every 5 years.

As Severn Trent state on their website (https://www.stwater.co.uk/news/news-releases/block-shock-for-severn-trent-customers-in-unblocktober/): “Blockages are the result of everyone flushing just one wipe here and there, or washing the odd bit of fat down the sink with hot soapy water, and not realising that it’s all collecting in the pipe and creating a big problem.”

What can we do to get involved?

• Stop flushing anything down the loo which includes even a small amount of plastic – this includes: dental floss, plasters, nappies, traditional cotton buds, tampons, wet wipes etc….
• Encourage others in your family or at work to avoid as well
• Avoid pouring any remains of oil, butter, cooking sauces etc down the drain (or down the loo!)
• Access the Unblocktober website to understand the issues
• Sign up to support the month-long initiative and encourage others as well
• Keep up the good work after the month is over!

Do you have suggestions to contribute on this topic or sustainability in general?
Head over to the Orston Sustainability Hub (OSH) FaceBook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/orstonsustainabilityhub; check out our Instagram a/c: https://www.instagram.com/orstonsustainability/ (or contact Fiona Winfield/ Julian Humpheson).