Pupils in Mayo invited to create 'truly frightening' model fatbergs

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Think Before You Flush campaign is launching a nationwide competition for primary school children aged from eight to 10 – and in anticipation of Halloween, pupils are being challenged to create something truly frightening!

Fatbergs are large blockages that form in sewers when inappropriate items are flushed down toilets. They can block sewage pipes and cause dirty water to overflow and harm rivers, the sea and wildlife.

Sewage workers have described fatbergs as 'monsters from the deep'. The largest fatberg ever was found in a sewer in Whitechapel, London, nearly 10 years ago. This enormous blockage was 250 metres long and weighed an estimated 130 tonnes. To put that into perspective, the Whitechapel Fatberg was as long as two football pitches and as heavy as 11 double decker buses! It took sewage workers over two months to remove.

Think Before You Flush is inviting primary school pupils to create their own model fatbergs using clean craft, recycled materials, or whatever takes their fancy. The fatbergs can take the form of a character or whatever the pupils envision. Creative licence is strongly encouraged.

Pupils may enter as a class, and multiple classes may enter from a single school if they wish to.

Cash prizes will be awarded. Alongside this, the winning school will receive a special celebratory visit from the Clean Coasts team on World Toilet Day – Thursday, November 19. This fun event will invite the winning pupils to take part in games, celebrations and media opportunities.

Uisce Éireann’s head of wastewater operations, Nuala Woods, is encouraging all schools to take part. “By learning what should and shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet, students can help protect our rivers, beaches and local communities,” she said. “Items such as wet wipes and cotton buds do not break down in the wastewater system and can and cause blockages in our network, pumping stations and wastewater treatment plants, and can lead to sewage overflows impacting some of our most beautiful coastal and river locations.”

Ms. Woods continued: “We remove around 10,000 blockages from our network every year, so we need everyone’s help to spread the message: Think Before You Flush.”

Maria-Assunta Lawton, Clean Coasts campaign officer, added: “The Fatberg Competition offers primary school pupils a fun and creative way to learn about a serious environmental issue. By building their own model fatberg, children can see how everyday flushing habits affect our wastewater network, waterways and marine environment. We hope pupils will bring that knowledge home and inspire small changes that can make a real difference to the environment.”

BEHAVIOUR

The Think Before You Flush campaign is operated by Clean Coasts, An Taisce in partnership with Uisce Éireann.

It emphasises the importance of appropriate flushing behaviour and disposal of items including wipes and other sanitary products in the bin, even if they are labelled as flushable. Only the '3 Ps' – pee, poo and (toilet) paper – should be flushed down the toilet. Everything else goes in the bin.

When items such as wet wipes are flushed down the toilet, they can cause serious blockages in sewage systems. These blockages cause sewage overflows and ultimately pollute our coastal waters and beaches. Uisce Éireann clears hundreds of blockages, including fatbergs, from the wastewater network every week.

For full details of the competition and to view the schools information pack or sign your class up, visit thinkbeforeyouflush.org. Questions about the competition can be emailed to the Think Before You Flush team at tbyf@antaisce.org.