It wouldn’t be Christmas without the tree, the tinsel, terrible cracker jokes and, of course, the Christmas dinner. But turkey trimmings, stuffing and goose fat are just three of the festive dinner culprits that will potentially block 3.6 million drains in the UK this year!
With 10 million turkeys expected to be consumed by families across the UK this Christmas, nearly one million of those could end up at the bottom of the U-bend or down the kitchen plughole as one-eighth of UK households admit to flushing food away down the kitchen sink.
The extent of Christmas food wastage and bad habits in the home has been highlighted by our research which found that in a study of over 2,000 people in the UK nearly three quarters (72.3%) confessed to pouring oil, fat, grease or uneaten food down their drains at home, contributing the fatberg epidemic plaguing the country’s drainage systems.
Pouring food waste down the drain puts a huge strain on UK drainage system – particularly at this time of year. We know this behaviour takes place all year round, but with us spending more time at home than usual over the festive season, and with Christmas food at excess, it’s a recipe for disaster for our drains. It’s inevitable that food will end up down there, but how much of it really depends on the great British public.
As a result, we’re making a serious call for households to reinforce collective responsibility we all have to protect the environment but also ensure other households aren’t affected by blocked drains, sewage overflow and damaged drainage systems as a result of Christmas food wastage. Blocked drains could result in you not being able to use your kitchen sink or even toilet and shower over the festive period which would be no fun for anyone!
By now, everyone knows that food waste, grease, oil and fat does not belong down the drain and we understand that it often seems like the easiest solution. However, in the long-term, this can cause major problems for both homeowners and our environment. A blocked drain can cause problems for every household, and this is something that we see becoming a major part of a much wider problem all year round as well as at Christmas.
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