There is a very real possibility that you could be prosected for throwing wet wipes down your toilet in 2021.
Well you might. And probably should if you are contributing to the massive cost of clearing our sewers of wet wipes.
Put it this way…
Is it fair that the water companies should pay the millions of pounds and dollars every month to break up the massive fatbergs caused by wet wipes?
Or should you help to pay for the clean up?
If you are throwing wet wipes down your toilet, then you are directly to blame.
Yes, the wet wipe manufacturers are also to blame for lying to you, that wet wipes are flushable.
Even school children know wet wipes do not disintegrate like toilet paper.
Prosecutions have already started…
A restaurant in Wolverhampton was prosecuted by Severn Trent Water under section 111 of the Water Industry Act which says it’s an offence to discharge anything into a sewer which may interfere with it flowing freely. The case, which saw the owner fined just over £5,000.
So, if you face court action in 2021 for contributing to the build-up of giant fatbergs by mindlessly throwing wet wipes down the toilet, you can’t blame anyone except yourself.
You are a part of the problem.
I’m Confused. What’s a Fatberg?
Ok, let me backup a bit…
Unless you’ve been on a tropical island for the last few years, you should know about the massive fatberg problem in our country’s sewers.
In fact, it’s not only a UK problem, it’s a worldwide issue.
However, as The Bum Gun Blog aims to help improve the lives of everyone…
Here is a quick recap for the benefit of you tropical islanders… (jealous)
The term ‘fatberg’ became well known a few years ago when massive blockages were found in our nation’s sewers.
And especially in London.
Londoners were faced with toilet blockages and sometimes sewage coming back into their bathrooms.
Yuk!
That’s right.
Fatbergs are not natural – they are creatures of the modern age – and the blockages they cause can lead to raw sewage flowing back up into shops, offices and our bathrooms.
This grotesque mass of sewage that was developing below our feet was a problem that needed to be sorted.
When Thames Water investigated, they found massive chucks of debris blocking our sewers, so the sewage could not flow properly.
Thames Water knew they had to do something about these fatbergs.
What is The Dictionary Definition of a Fatberg?
‘A very large mass of solid waste in a sewerage system, consisting especially of congealed fat and personal hygiene products such as wet-wipes and tampons that have been flushed down toilets.’
Fat is a big component of a fatberg, but it is all the wet wipes, condoms, nappies, sanitary products and cotton wool which contribute to the problem.
Our sewage pipes were not designed to deal with these products and they get stuck into a giant mass with congealed fat to create the hideous fatbergs…
The biggest known fatberg in the UK
Just recently, the biggest known fatberg in the UK was discovered in London which was around 250 metres long and weighed around 130 tonnes.
A Thames Water spokesman told us: “This fatberg is easily the biggest we’ve ever seen. It’s a total monster and it’s taking a huge amount of manpower and machinery to remove as it is set rock solid.”
The problem with fatbergs is that they are like breaking up concrete.
And if you’ve ever used a Kango concrete jack-hammer, you’ll know it’s very hard work.
It is so frustrating because fatbergs are totally avoidable.
If people discard fat properly, and dispose of wet-wipes and other sanitary products in a proper waste basket then this problem can be avoided.
And Thames Water wouldn’t be faced with such massive fatberg clearance bills. Which they are bound to pass on to all of us, whether we are responsible for the fatbergs or not…
Thames Water spending £1m a month unblocking ‘fatbergs’ from London’s sewers
Thames Water clears around 85,000 blockages a year from its 108,000 km sewer network.
The company is monitoring five giant fatbergs underneath the capital with the biggest, weighing 130 tonnes, in Tower Hamlets.
But the fatberg problem is on the rise.
Thames Water has revealed it spends £1m a month clearing blockages from London’s sewers – nearly five an hour.
Therefore, Thames Water must go on the offensive. They will be sending specialists to visit food outlets to give free advice on disposing of fat and oil responsibly.
Thames Water is stepping up its fight against fatbergs
Thames Water has to step up its fight against fatbergs so they are starting a campaign to encourage food outlets to effectively manage waste fats, oils and grease.
The campaign will mainly target restaurants and fast food retailers, off the back of shocking research carried out over the last two years in Oxford.
The pilot campaign in Oxford showed 95% of outlets visited were contributing to sewer blockages.
Now Thames Water’s ‘fatberg team’ will be visiting food outlets in fatberg hotspots to investigate their current grease management and inform them about responsibly disposing of waste fats, oils and grease to help reduce blockages and flooding.
I don’t think everyone purposely discards their fat down the drain knowing they’ll cause a problem.
I inherently believe most people are good.
The problem is ignorance.
I bet most restaurant owners in the UK don’t realise the consequences of throwing their fat down our sewers.
Likewise, people who use wet wipes probably don’t realize that their wet wipes ARE NOT DISPOSABLE!
It might say they are on the packets but they are most definitely not.
Scientists and experts have proved in multiple studies that wet-wipes DO NOT DEGRADE like toilet paper.
“Even though some of these things are marketed as flushable, they’re not biodegradable,” said Dr Sharon George, environmental sustainability lecturer at Keele University. “They go into the drains, and they clog.”
The manufacturers of wet wipes should help pay to clear the fatbergs
The manufacturers of wet wipes should help pay to clear the fatbergs. Period.
Why not?
It’s their product which is contributing to the massive fatbergs problem. And they know people don’t want to discard their ‘shitty wet-wipes’ in the bin.
The smart alternative to wet-wipes
The smart alternative to wet-wipes is of course The Bum Gun bidet sprayer.
Here Are 4 Smart Reasons Why The Bum Gun Is Better Than Wet-Wipes
- The Bum Gun gets you ‘shower fresh clean’. If wet-wipes could do that, we would never shower again, and just wipe our bodies with wet-wipes.
- The Bum Gun is cheaper than wet-wipes. Over the 5 year warranty of the Titan Bum Gun, imagine how many wet-wipes your family will buy each and every week. The Titan only costs £60.
- Many wet-wipes can contain chemicals which can irritate the sensitive skin in our private areas.
- The Bum Gun is by far the more eco-friendly product. The Bum Gun will NEVER contribute to the fatberg problem costing our water companies millions of pounds.
Invest in The Bum Gun today for a brighter, cleaner future for you and all your family.