Avoid March Madness this Easter and Think Before You Pour dairy products or fats, oils and greases down the sink!
This Easter, Clean Coasts and Uisce Éireann are drawing inspiration from two famous characters of Wonderland to deliver a very important message. Alice and the Mad Hatter are urging the public to dispose of fats, oils, greases and dairy products in the right way – by putting them in the bin and not down the sink.
Don’t be late for this important date with your pipes and remember to Think Before You Pour this Easter. According to a survey conducted in 2023*, 34% of people were regularly pouring damaging items down the sink, compared to 50% in 2018. While this signifies a positive change in behaviour, there’s still room for improvement in 2024. The most common items regularly disposed of down the sink include milk (23%); gravy and other sauces (15%); and fats, oils and greases (10%).
“It may seem harmless to wash dairy products including milk and fats, oils and greases (FOGs) down the sink, but these items can wreak havoc and block drains and pipes in our homes and businesses”, said the Mad Hatter.”
Alice added, “It’s important to remember that just because something can fit down the sink or drain, doesn’t mean it should be poured down the sink. In reality, Uisce Éireann responds to thousands of call outs a year related to these types of blockages.”
Mary Hussey, Wastewater Regional Operational Manager at Uisce Éireann said If you’re hosting a tea party, dinner or celebration this Easter, please take the time to dispose of waste properly and ‘Think Before You Pour’. Everyone can help reduce the number of wastewater blockages caused by items being incorrectly poured down the sink. Let’s work together to keep our pipes free of chaos and prevent sewage backing up into our homes, gardens or spilling into the local environment.”
Speaking about the campaign, Sinead McCoy, Coastal Communities Manager, Clean Coasts said:
“Clean Coasts is proud to collaborate with Uisce Éireann and this March is utilising iconic characters such as the Mad Hatter to remind people about the Think Before You Pour campaign, to promote responsible disposal of fats, oils, and greases (FOGs) this Easter, urging everyone to think before they pour and protect our coastal environment.”
*Results from Think Before You Flush/Pour Behaviour and Attitudes Online Omnibus 2023.Survey sample included 1,062 adults aged 18 years plus.
Social media:
Facebook: @CleanCoasts and @IrishWater; Twitter: @CleanCoasts and @IrishWater; Instagram: @cleancoasts
#CleanCoasts; #ThinkB4UFlush; #ThinkB4UPour; https://
Think Before You Pour is a public awareness campaign highlighting the problems caused by pouring fats, oils and greases (FOGs) and other unsuitable items down the sink. Consequences include the formation of fatbergs, which are very large masses of solid waste in a sewerage system, consisting especially of congealed fat that have been poured down the sink and personal hygiene products that have been flushed down toilets. This causes blockages in household plumbing and the wastewater network. The goal of the campaign is to encourage people to always #ThinkB4UPour. The campaign is operated by Clean Coasts (An Taisce) in partnership with Uisce Éireann. Think Before You Pour is a section of the Think Before You Flush Campaign, which highlights the problems associated with flushing inappropriate items, such as wipes and cotton buds, down the toilet.
About Clean Coasts:
Clean Coasts is a charity programme, run through the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce, which engages communities in the protection of Ireland’s beaches, seas and marine life.
Since 2003, Clean Coasts has been working with communities to help protect and care for Ireland’s waterways, coastline, seas, ocean and marine life. Clean Coasts strives to create tangible and immediate improvements to Ireland’s marine environment, supporting thousands of volunteers in removing large quantities of marine litter from our coastline each year.
For the past 20 years, Clean Coasts has grown from strength to strength and now includes two main national clean-up drives, as well as other initiatives, including the Green Coast Award, the Love Your Coast Photography competition, the Clean Coasts Roadshows for coastal communities and the Ocean Hero Awards. All these initiatives are aimed at celebrating the beauty of our coast and the efforts of our volunteers across all of Ireland.
Currently, there are over 2,000 registered Clean Coasts volunteering groups and 40,000 volunteers. There are a variety of group types such as community and corporate groups, residents’ associations, tidy towns groups, sports clubs, schools, businesses, universities etc. Clean Coasts organises hundreds of beach clean-ups annually mobilising thousands of volunteers, removing considerable quantities of marine litter from Ireland’s beaches and waterways.
