EcoClarity and Yorkshire Water join forces in fight against fatbergs

Sewer blockages are a major concern in the UK, with an estimated 200,000 occurring annually, and FOG – fat, oil and grease - cited as the cause in around 75% of cases.
A build-up of FOG hinders the smooth operation of sewer systems and wastewater treatment works (WwTW), shortens the lifespan of critical assets and increases maintenance costs. This burden ultimately falls on water companies.
“As a water company, we suffer from thousands of preventable blockages each year from fats going down sewers. FOG blockages, or fatbergs impair the performance of wastewater assets which can cause sewer overflows, that can impact the environment,” explained Yorkshire Water’s waste services manager James Gudgeon.
"Water companies can spend a significant amount of money on staff and equipment costs to remove FOG from our sewers and send it to landfill – which also has an environmental impact. Additionally, network failures caused by FOG blockages carry the risk of costly environmental performance fines.”
As part of Yorkshire Water's drive to increase efficiency within its operations, the water utility works alongside technology consultancy Isle to identify...