This Easter, Clean Coasts in partnership with Irish Water is partnering with JP McMahon to ask the people of Galway to ‘rethink the sink’ and never pour fats, oils, and greases (FOGs ) from the Easter roast down the sink. Instead, collect FOGs into a heatproof container (egg cartons, tins and jars are egg-cellent choices ), allow them to cool, and empty into the bin.
JP McMahon, along with other celebrity chefs and well known personalities from around Ireland, is participating in this year's Easter ‘think before you pour’ campaign including Kevin Dundon, Gina Daly, Lilly Higgins, Edward Hayden, Guy Sinnott, and Mark Murphy as well as well-known food blogger, Niamh O’Sullivan.
‘Think before you pour’ is operated by Clean Coasts in partnership with Irish Water and appeals to the public not to pour FOGs down the kitchen sink, as a B&A survey reveals that approximately four out of 10 people admit to doing so.
FOGs may seem like liquid when poured, but they cool and harden as they travel along the pipes and can cause blockages in our homes, businesses, the public sewer network, and wastewater treatment plants and can even lead to overflows of sewage in our 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. Irish Water clears hundreds of blockages including fatbergs from the wastewater network every week.
Anthony Skeffington, regional operational manager, north west region, added: “Irish Water is delighted to be teaming up with Clean Coasts and chefs from all around Ireland for the ‘rethink the sink’ Easter campaign. Last year we responded to approximately 10,000 customer notified blockages along the wastewater network, which were leading to sewer overflows. Removing fatbergs and blockages from our public sewers and cleaning up sewer overflows is a dirty job with nasty consequences but so easy to prevent. We are reminding the public to ‘think before you pour’ this Easter, not to use the kitchen sink as a bin, and to help us safeguard the wastewater network and local environment by collecting cooled fats, oils, and greases and disposing of them in their bin.”
Sinead McCoy, coastal communities manager with Clean Coasts, said: “The prevention of blockages in our wastewater systems by fats, oils, and greases is something everybody can engage in. Simply by being more conscious of our behaviour at the sink, and by making small changes, we can all have a positive impact on our natural environment. I would encourage and remind everyone to ‘think before you pour’ this Easter.”
