Customers in Kinloch Rannoch are being urged to play their part in keeping the water cycle running smoothly.

Scottish Water has issued postcards to customers in the Kinloch Rannoch area, reminding customers to make sure they are disposing of fats, oils and grease (known as FOG) correctly. Local hospitality businesses in the area are also being contacted and given further advice on how they should dispose of FOG in a way that is safe for drains and the environment.

The campaign has been launched after a noticeable increase in FOG and other inappropriate items causing challenges in the public sewer network and septic tanks which serve Kinloch Rannoch.

As well as affecting how well Scottish Water’s equipment can perform, when FOG is poured down sinks and drains it can form congealed lumps known as ‘fatbergs’ that block sewer pipes, leading to flooding and environmental damage.  

In the last year, Scottish Water has dealt with over 37,000 sewer chokes across the country, costing more than £7 million to clear. Over 50 per cent of these chokes could have been avoided if people disposed of FOG correctly and remembered the bathroom rule that only the 3P’s (pee, poo, and toilet paper) should be flushed away.

Christmas time is typically when the largest amount of FOG enters the sewer network with families and friends gathering to enjoy cooked meals, making it as important as ever this festive season that customers are aware of our kitchen checklist. 

KITCHEN CHECKLIST:

• Fat, oil and grease - leave to cool/harden in a container and then scrape into your food waste recycling or put them in the bin
• Give plates, pots, utensils and containers a quick scrape or wipe with some kitchen towel before washing and use a sink strainer in the plughole to catch any bits of leftover food going down the sink
• Believe it or not soup, stocks, sauces and milk products all contain fat, which can also congeal and harden in your drains - leave these to cool/harden, scrape into a container and then scrape into your food waste recycling or put them in the bin
• Peelings - put any waste food and peelings into your food waste recycling or put them in the bin

Lewis Deas, Waste Water Operations Manager at Scottish Water, said:

“It is so important that we work together with our customers in Kinloch Rannoch to tackle this fats, oils and grease problem which has been affecting the sewer network and waste water treatment works that serve the area.

"By following the kitchen checklist and making these simple changes, we can keep Kinloch Rannoch’s water cycle running smoothly through Christmas and into 2022.”