Think Before You Pour with Cassie Stokes this Christmas, brought to you by Clean Coasts, supported by Uisce Éireann

This Christmas, Clean Coasts and Uisce Éireann are teaming up to urge every home cook, chef-in-the-making, and, of course, the washer-uppers of Cork to Think Before You Pour – especially when it comes to Fats, Oils, and Greases (FOGs) from cooking and instead – Cool, Collect and Bin!  

Joining forces with TV Presenter and passionate food lover, Cassie Stokes, this festive campaign reminds us all that while those leftover cooking fats might seem harmless, they can cause serious damage to our homes, our communities, and the environment. FOGs, when poured down the sink, can cause expensive blockages in our home plumbing, pipes and wastewater networks leading to sewage overflows that can pollute our rivers, beaches, and oceans. The solution? It’s simple: let FOGs cool, collect them and stick them in the bin ! It’s also a great idea to scrape your plates and wipe your pots and pans before washing them and use a sink strainer to collect any smaller food scraps.

Why it Matters

A new survey* revealed that we’ve made progress around the proper disposal of FOGs (with the number of people regularly pouring them down the sink dropping from 44% to 36% since 2018); however many people are still guilty of this kitchen no-no. And when FOGs harden in pipes, they can form fatbergs – giant masses of waste that clog our sewers and wreak havoc on the environment.

Mary Hussey, Wastewater Regional Operations Senior Manager at Uisce Éireann, said:

“This Christmas, let’s reduce the number of blockages that lead to wastewater backups, sewage overflows, and environmental pollution. We all have a role to play in protecting our homes, our communities, and our beautiful natural spaces. So, please, let’s keep our kitchen sinks fat-free – and remember to ‘Think Before You Pour.’ Instead of pouring your cooking oils down the sink, collect them in a heatproof container, let them cool, and then dispose of them in the bin. It’s a simple action that can make a big difference.”

Patrick Cross, Think Before You Pour Campaign Officer at Clean Coasts, added:

“This Christmas, Clean Coasts is calling on everyone to Think Before You Pour. It’s a small change in your kitchen habits that will have a massive impact on our environment and wastewater systems. Let’s work together to protect our drains, rivers, and beaches – all by making a simple effort to dispose of FOGs the right way.”

The Hidden Dangers of FOGs

While FOGs may be in a liquid form when poured, they quickly cool and harden in pipes. Over time, these solidified fats, oils, and greases form blockages that can disrupt home plumbing, business operations, and even the broader wastewater network. And that’s not all – FOGs combine with wipes, hair, and dental floss to create fatbergs. These blockages lead to costly repairs, local flooding, and serious environmental damage.

Uisce Éireann clears over 2,000 blockages from the wastewater network every month – including those stubborn fatbergs. That’s 2,000 opportunities for us all to make a difference.

The Good News

By simply thinking before you pour, you’re already making a huge difference. Not only will you prevent blockages in your own home and avoid unnecessary repairs, but you’ll also be helping to protect the environment and reduce pollution in our rivers, beaches, and oceans. It’s a small change that makes a big impact.

This Christmas, let’s all make a commitment to Think Before You Pour – for the sake of our homes, our communities, and the planet we all share.

Remember: Cool, Collect, Bin – It’s that easy!

*About the Survey:

In 2024 Uisce Éireann commissioned a survey of the nation’s behaviour when disposing waste down the sink.1,057 adults aged 18+ were surveyed by Behaviour & Attitudes. Where relevant, comparisons to a similar surveys undertaken in previous years are made to assist in understanding of the nation’s behaviour regarding the disposal of items down the sink over this period.

Survey Results:

• The percentage of respondents pouring damaging items down the sink dropped from 50% in 2018 to 40% in 2024.
• 36% dispose of FOGs regularly down the sink.
• One in ten people dispose of FOGs very regularly down the sink.
• 57% of people under 35 dispose of  FOGs down the sink  regularly.

Think Before You Pour 

Think Before You Pour is a public awareness campaign highlighting the problems caused by pouring incorrect items including fats, oils and greases (FOGs) down the sink. Consequences include the formation of fatbergs, which are very large masses of solid waste in a sewerage system, consisting especially of congealed fat and personal hygiene products that have been flushed down toilets. This causes blockages in our household plumbing and our wastewater network. The goal of the campaign is to encourage people to always #thinkb4upour. The campaign is operated by Clean Coasts (An Taisce) in partnership with Uisce Éireann. Think Before You Pour is part of the Think Before You Flush Campaign, which highlights the problems associated with flushing inappropriate items, such as wipes and cotton bud sticks, down the toilet.

Clean Coasts:

Clean Coasts is a charity programme, run through the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce, which engages communities in the protection of Ireland’s beaches, seas and marine life. Clean Coasts works with communities to help protect and care for Ireland’s waterways, coastline, seas, ocean and marine life. Clean Coasts thrives to create tangible and immediate improvements to Ireland’s coastal environment, involving thousands of volunteers removing large quantities of marine litter from our coastline each year.

Clean Coasts has grown over the years and now includes two main national clean-up drives. Other initiatives include the Green Coast Award, the Love Your Coast Photography competition, the Clean Coasts Roadshows for coastal communities and the Ocean Hero Awards. All these initiatives are aimed at celebrating the beauty of our coast and the efforts of our volunteers across all of Ireland

Currently, there are nearly 2500 registered Clean Coasts volunteering groups. There are a variety of group types such as community groups, residents’ associations, tidy towns groups, sports clubs, schools, businesses, universities etc. Clean Coasts organises hundreds of beach clean-ups annually mobilising thousands of volunteers, removing considerable quantities of marine litter from Ireland’s beaches and waterways.  Our volunteering has expanded to also include Corporate Volunteering.