Pubs call for clear standards from water sector on removing fats, oils and grease from sewers

The hospitality sector has called on the UK water sector to standardise its regulation and requirements for the disposal of fat, oil and grease (FOG) as part of the effort to end sewer blockages. And one water firm invited pubs and restaurants to collaborate with the water industry in recycling FOGs.

Speaking at a recent conference on FOG management president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, Andrew Crook, said: “We want to share with our members best practice, but it is difficult when water company requirements are different in every region."

Keith Warren, chief executive at the Foodservice Equipment Association, said there was an opportunity to get FOG included in the secondary legislation under the new Environment Act. He said: “We need go to government with our position. Regulation is needed so we all know what we are shooting for.”

United Utilities" wastewater network technical manager' Tony Griffiths said: “There’s been a call for clarity. We absolutely need to work in unity."

Director of building maintenance at pub and restaurant operator, Mitchells & Butlers, Jennie Smith, said, faced with a lack of an industry standard, and following its prosecution for failures to prevent FOG entering the sewers at one of its pubs, the company had conducted trials of grease management equipment

“Off the back of prosecution, we received quick approval to spend £7m putting grease removal units across our entire estate," Smith said, adding: "We found there is no standard, no real transparency about what those machines do and how they work.

“Making a decision on how to invest this huge amount of money, I needed certainty this product will work and will be compliant.”

Head of commercial at Everflow Water, Martin Needham, said water retailers had a key role to play in helping wholesalers target commercial businesses. “We are the conduit between wholesaler and end user,” he said. “We can support the wholesaler with making sure we’re finding the problem area and targeting the hospitality sector.”

FOG programme manager at Anglian Water Ben Hatfield-Wright, said he wanted food service establishments (FSEs) to join Anglian in benefiting from recycling and reuse of FOGS. "That’s the secret to moving tens of thousands of FSEs very quickly to doing the right thing and solving this problem,”he said.

Chief executive of the Renewable Transport Fuel Association, Gaynor Hartnell, said: “Our members really want the yellow and brown grease. There is not enough of it around for future transport needs. She proposed a a hub and spoke model for collecting the grease: "Then getting it to our members to produce renewable fuel.”

Chief commercial officer at BioteCH4, Lee Dobinson, which processes FOGs from retail businesses, manufacturers and local authorities to create biogas said most of the infrastructure needed to process FOG from FSEs was already available.

Head of facilities at pub operator Marston's, Sarah Taylor, told the conference: "There is a nice revenue stream from recycling used cooking oil.”