Annual campaign calls on the public to look after their drains through October

Unblocktober kicks off this week – a month-long campaign to rally the British public to take care of their drains and sewers, and reduce the impact of wastewater on watercourses and seas.

Run by the Lanes Group and in its sixth year, Unblocktober calls on individuals and businesses to take the Unblocktober pledge, which means promising to keep potentially harmful waste materials out of drains for the whole month. These materials include cooking fats, wet wipes, period products, cotton buds and all food – even crumbs.

Jacob Larkin, spokesperson for Unblocktober, said: “We have poured harmful substances down our drains for too long which has led to the formation of huge fatbergs which can clog our sewers, making them less efficient than they should be and costing huge sums of money to remove. Inefficiencies in our sewer system can cause huge environmental damage and have significant ecological effects, increasing pollution in our waterways.”

More information on the campaign and how to get involved, can be found here: https://www.unblocktober.org/