Fats Oils and Greases - Opportunity or Cost?

9th December 2010, The Village Hotel, Leeds (South) 

It has been estimated that there are around 200,000 sewer blockages in the UK each year and of these about 75% are caused by excessive build up of fats, oils and greases (FOG).  In addition the WRc has undertaken research that suggests sewer blockages account for 55% of sewer flooding incidents in the UK and with more than 3,000 incidents of property flooding.  There are a number of factors likely to place further pressure on the network and exacerbate the problem of blockages.  For example increased household source separation of waste, driven by Local Authorities striving to meet the landfill reduction targets of the Landfill Directive, will have an effect on household disposal practices.  This may have a direct impact on how people dispose of fats oils and greases; in some instances it will also lead to an increase in the installation and use of food waste disposal units.  Larger catering establishments who are affected by the animal by-product regulations may also see the sewer as a more convenient route for disposal with the inadvertent increase in the FOG load.  In view of the scale of the problem, Water UK have established a Sewer Network Abuse Prevention (SNAP) group, which has published a Best Management Practice Guide for diposal of FOG at catering establishments, as well as advising on other flushable products.

Clearing these blockages by conventional means costs millions of pounds a year which would be better spend on other, more productive options.  An innovative approach adopted in New York offers a free collection of waste cooking oil to any food service business in the city and in this way their disposal costs are free.  The costs to the municipality have actually proved to be only half the costs of FOG related sewer repairs. 

It is the aim of this 1-day event to review the problem of FOG in sewers.  It will consider the main sources of FOG and the traditional routes for dealing with this.  It will consider the potential for existing and future legislation to place further pressures on the network and will outline more innovative approaches to deal with the FOG issue, including the opportunities that FOG provides as a potential source of renewable energy.

We are inviting papers on this subject - If you are intersted in speaking at the event please email a working title and 3 summary bullet points to franceswoodhead@aquaenviro.co.uk by 13th September.