Fatbergs: A Silent Threat Lurking in Sewers

When people think about what’s in their sewers, rats and strong smells might come to mind. But fatbergs are just as threatening, or even more so. What is a fatberg, and why is it such a problem?

What Is a Fatberg?

Fatbergs form when fats, oils and greases combine with solids that will not break down — such as wet wipes. They form when people pour unsuitable substances down drains or flush them in their bathrooms. Although both these activities seem like easy ways to deal with waste, they can cause far-reaching disastrous effects for households and entire communities. 

Straining the Sewer System

Blockages are the most prevalent problem associated with fatbergs. Even the most skilled and well-equipped sewage technicians cannot reach into local networks and remove fatberg blockages with their hands. The Guinness Book of World Records’ entry for the largest recorded fatberg mentions that this mass was 820 feet long and weighed more than 286,000 pounds. 

Items never meant for drains and toilets combine with the fats, oils and greases disposed of by restaurants and households. Fatbergs naturally form when these items enter the sewer system and combine over time. Breaking down fatbergs can take months, and it’s a highly manual process. Crews cannot deal with them in single pieces. Instead, they must break them down into more manageable chunks with pick axes and high-pressure hoses and suck the parts into tankers. 

To get an idea of the extent of the fatberg problem, people should consider that sewer workers in Ireland responded to 10,000 blockages in a single year. It’s a small island nation, home to approximately 5.2 million people. New York City has several million more residents. Although they do not form immediately, fatbergs gradually grow larger. Plus, factors such as temperature changes can make them appear faster than expected. Once they become substantial enough to block the sewage system, these matters can occupy crews for weeks. 

What Problems Do Fatbergs Cause? 

Unaddressed fatbergs can cause sewage to rise from underground networks. That issue creates unsanitary messes that can flood properties and make drainage systems dysfunctional. Fatbergs also have a foul smell, making them even more unpleasant than a typical clogged drain. 

Are there telltale signs that a home or business has a fatberg problem? Yes, they include: 

• Multiple drains suddenly working slowly.
• Bad smells coming from the drains.
• Toilet water rising too high and draining slowly after flushing.
• Gurgling noises in the pipes.

Unattended fatbergs can cause pipes to burst from the increased pressure. Anyone who thinks they’re dealing with one should get immediate professional advice. However, fatbergs are not only unpleasant for people in the homes and businesses affected by them. Once they grow large enough, these blockages can cause untreated sewage to flow into the streets and local waterways, resulting in public health and environmental hazards. 

Decision-makers associated with local wastewater networks have made various eco-friendly improvements. One option is to separate stormwater and wastewater as they flow to treatment facilities. This setup can reduce pollution loads and their unwanted effects. However, when it comes to fatbergs, the public plays a huge collective role in preventing them. 

What Are the Best Prevention Methods?

The most straightforward preventive measure against fatbergs is to become more aware of what can and cannot go into drains or down toilets. Many local authorities urge people to remember the three Ps — pee, poo and (toilet) paper — as items that can safely go down the toilet. 

But what about flushable wipes? The first word of the product category suggests they’re okay for toilets, too, right? Probably not. Many plumbing professionals warn that these supposedly flushable products also contribute to the fatberg problem. Even though it takes a bit more effort, the most practical preventive measure to take is to dispose of these products in the garbage. 

Fatberg Prevention for Commercial Kitchens

Prevention also starts in the kitchen. Instead of pouring fats, oils and greases down the drain, put them in a separate container that eventually gets emptied into the waste bin. Some areas also allow people to put small amounts of these products into containers designated for food-related garbage. Similarly, local programs near you may pick up this type of food waste for you and even offer money for it.

These food-related byproducts seem like liquid, but the main problem is that they harden after cooling. That characteristic can worsen fatbergs. Anyone managing or working in restaurants should familiarize themselves with the internal strategies to deal with cooking-related complications that could cause fatbergs.

Those could include: 

• Asking people to scrape or wipe off these substances when washing dishes.
• Installing grease traps and maintaining them appropriately according to usage.
• Installing drain guards or similar protective accessories to catch food particles.

Although anyone who cooks should know these tips, they are essential for restaurant staff to follow due to the amount of grease and other substances generated at those businesses. 

There is no international agreement on how to handle fatbergs. While some authorities have prioritized it at the local and national levels, that is not the case everywhere. Regardless of how people’s nearest representatives treat the issue, they should recognize that fatberg reduction is a collective matter that everyone can influence for good or bad. 

Emerging Ways to Deal With Fatbergs

Although the established way to handle fatbergs is to break them apart, some people believe there are other ways to cope with the problem. One university professor uses a genetically engineered bacteria that breaks them down and produces a pine scent. 

His solution is not yet commercially viable, but he envisions a day when people will put the bacteria in the sewer system to take care of the congealed waste before it gets out of control. This approach could also make something useful from a costly problem because he said the pine-like scent might become a perfume ingredient. Many sustainably minded people like the idea of turning trash into treasure. This takes that to a whole new level. 

Elsewhere, Australian researchers took a different approach by developing a concrete coating that stops fatbergs from forming. The water and calcium-rich environment in sewers encourages the buildup of these rock-like blockages. However, this specially engineered solution curbs calcium release from the sewer infrastructure’s walls.

In a simulated environment that mimicked and accelerated the formation of fatbergs over 30 days, this coating was notably effective. Experiments showed it caused a 30% reduction in the accumulation of fats, oils and grease on the concrete compared to untreated surfaces. Those involved said that this innovation caused less calcium to leach from the concrete, but it also made fatberg components less likely to stick to it. Since these masses are only problematic once they grow big enough, the lack of adherence could keep the waste to a more manageable size.

Keeping Sewer Systems Running Smoothly

Everyone must do their part to stop sewage systems from backing up in their homes and communities. Fatbergs are not the only issues that cause problems, but they have progressively become more problematic. Following best practices and staying informed about the latest research will keep the world’s sewage infrastructure functional.