Unblocktober is a national campaign, held every October, asking people to change how they dispose of a short list of everyday items in order to protect drains, sewers and ultimately the sea. Exjet Services supports it, and we have a fairly direct reason to: the list is more or less an inventory of what our engineers cut out of blocked sewers the rest of the year.
What we actually pull out of blocked drains
There is very little mystery to it. Across domestic and commercial jobs alike, the same handful of materials account for the overwhelming majority of blockages:
- Fat, oil and grease poured away warm and set solid a few metres later.
- Wet wipes, including the ones sold as flushable, which do not break up in the time it takes them to reach a sewer.
- Sanitary products, nappies and cotton buds, which snag on anything and then collect everything else.
- Hair and dental floss, which bind the rest of it into a mat.
- Food waste scraped straight into the sink.
Fat plus rag is what makes a fatberg, and a fatberg is what turns a manageable drain into a flooded kitchen. We wrote about the seasonal version of it in Festive Fatberg, and about what a blocked sewer attracts in Sewer Rats.
Why it matters here more than most places
The South West has a lot of coast, a lot of bathing water and a lot of combined sewers. When a sewer blocks or surcharges, what comes out of it does not stay in the pipe — it ends up in a watercourse, on a beach, or through somebody’s back door. The link between what goes down a plughole in Paignton and what turns up in the bay is shorter than most people assume.
The habits that make the difference
- Scrape and wipe plates and pans before washing them.
- Pour cooled fat and oil into a container, let it set, and bin it.
- Fit a sink strainer and a shower hair catcher, and empty them into the bin.
- Keep a lidded bin in the bathroom, so it is easier to reach than the toilet.
- Flush nothing but human waste and toilet paper — there is a fuller list in what not to flush down your toilet.
None of it is difficult, and it is all cheaper than a call-out. If you want the wider version, see how to avoid blocked drains at home.
For commercial kitchens and sites
Where fat is a constant rather than an occasional load — pubs, restaurants, hotels, care homes, schools — habits are not enough on their own. Grease management, correctly sized traps and a maintenance schedule are what keep the drainage working, and a scheduled clean is a fraction of the cost of a Saturday-night backup. See commercial sewer cleaning and planned drainage maintenance.
More about the campaign, including how to sign up, is at unblocktober.org.
Talk to Exjet about your drains
Exjet Services has been solving drainage and sewer problems across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset since 1986, with commercial and planned work right across the South West. Our engineers are directly employed, and we are certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.
Related services: residential blocked drains, commercial sewer cleaning and planned drainage maintenance.
Blocked now? Ring 0800 328 6655 — answered any hour — or request a quote.