SUSTAINABLE OVERTON
working as a community to combat climate change
Unblocktober
WARNING: This page is not for the faint hearted.
The fatbErgs, they're coming to get you.
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Halloween isn't the only scary thing heading our way this year.
Unblocktober was launched in 2019 to help save our drains as well as our oceans. 48% of us flush things down the loo or sink that shouldn’t go down there. This is clogging up our drains, causing huge fatbergs and blockages, as well as allowing plastics to end up in our oceans.
Things have got worse during the pandemic with disposable facemasks and gloves disposable gloves being flushed down the loo, as well as:
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wet wipes (about 90% plastic)
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nappies (yes whole nappies!)
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condoms
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contact lenses
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used razor heads
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period products such as tampons, applicators and sanitary towels
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dental floss
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cotton buds.
And it’s not just our bathroom habits – kitchen habits are just as damaging:
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cooking oil
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butter
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lard
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margarine
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cooking sauces and pieces of food
all end up in our drains.
Then, the fat congeals and combines with the plastic products to form large fatbergs which can cause blockages of sewers and problems with foul waste – as well as wasting millions of pounds every year to clear.
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So what should we do with all this stuff?
Cooking oil (up to 5 litres per household) can be taken to HMRC Household waste recycling centres and poured into the container there, where it is recycled into renewable energy.
The rest of the things should go into your kitchen or bathroom bin. Oil can be placed in a sealed container or small amounts soaked up with kitchen roll.
Will you join us and pledge to support unblocktober this year? Link to www.unblocktober.org
