With another New Year nearly here, Severn Trent is suggesting some resolutions that’ll help keep sewers clear and not result in costly issues for customers. 

Instead of sticking to the usual resolutions of getting healthier, breaking bad habits, or trying new hobbies, the water company is recommending that customers add a simple amendment to their list of goals – to be a binner, not a blocker. 

The water company knows winter can be a challenging time for its customers’, that’s why it’s encouraging people, along with their team of winter helpers, to ‘weather the winter together’. Providing helpful tips, to help protect their home from things like costly blockages and burst pipes, as well as support when it comes to bills.   

Severn Trent winter helper and Sewer Blockages Lead, Grant Mitchell, said: “The New Year is a chance to refresh, renew and change some habits, so we would encourage everyone to use this New Year to start thinking about what is going down their sinks and toilet. 

“Scraping leftover greases into the bin, pouring oils into a container or binning those wipes is something that can be done quickly, easily and will have a huge impact on the network. 

“But if we work together in 2025 and make those resolutions, we can reduce blockages that have a massive impact on customer’s homes and their communities too.” 

Some changes people can make for 2025 include:  

Remember the 3Ps

New Year, new loo habits. Everyone should be making sure that the only things being flushed down the toilet are the 3Ps - pee, poo, and (toilet) paper. 

Anything other than the 3Pss will likely clog up pipes and cause issues, like bursts and overflowing toilets, that can be difficult and quite pricy to have fixed. 

Bin the wipes

Every week, around two and a half tonnes of unflushable items are pulled out of our sewers, which is about the same weight as a fully grown white rhino. One of the biggest culprits included in this are wet wipes. 

There are so many kinds of wet wipes used for a variety of reasons like for babies, makeup, cleaning, and even for pets. Many people don’t think twice before flushing them like normal loo roll but, because they don’t dissolve, they end up getting stuck in the pipes and causing serious blockages. 

Since they are such a big problem for our sewers, wet wipes should always be thrown in the bin instead being flushed down the toilet- even the ones labelled as ‘flushable’! 

Other unflushables

Unfortunately, wet wipes aren’t the only things causing trouble. Kitchen roll, nappies, cotton buds, and sanitary products, like tampons and pads, are all things that are commonly found in the sewers that should always be put in the bin. 

Along with those, there are many instances where completely random items like dummies, toys, toothpaste tubes, and even plastic cutlery have been flushed down the toilet and found by Severn Trent’s waste crews.  

Just like wipes, you should not be flushing anything that should be thrown in the bin. 

Fat, Oils, and Greases

Fats, oils, and greases (FOG), from cooking being poured down the sink is also a massive problem. When FOG congeals with unflushable items and then solidifies, they become destructive fatbergs that lead to blockages and  flooding incidents. 

Using kitchen roll to soak up fats and greases from pans and plates before washing up or collecting used cooking oil in a jar or container are some small changes people can make in the kitchen to prevent any blockages. 

For more information and advice on changes customers can make to help protect their home next year can be found here.