It’s often tempting to throw items like grease and wet wipes down the sink or in the toilet, but here’s one very good reason to not do that--fatbergs. A neighborhood in London is now dealing with one such fatberg.
It’s often tempting to throw items like grease and wet wipes down the sink or in the toilet, but here’s one very good reason to not do that--fatbergs.
The masses form when such products end up in the wrong places, typically sewers, and a neighborhood in London is now dealing with one that’s the length of roughly two NFL football fields.
Weighing in at roughly 130 tons and being compared to a giant chunk of concrete, the mass is expected to take three weeks to break up, according to the BBC.
While this one is particularly monstrous and noteworthy, fatbergs are said to be a regular occurrence in London.
“Thames Water says it spends about [$1.3 million] a month clearing blockages from its sewers in London and the Thames Valley – an average of three fat-related blockages every hour,” The Guardian reports.
“The sewers are not an abyss for household rubbish and our message to everyone is clear - please bin it - don't block it," Matt Rimmer, representative for the company’s waste network division, told the BBC.