Fatberg clogging London sewers

Summary

The video highlights the battle against 'fatbergs' – massive, solidified clumps of fat, grease, wet wipes, and other waste that clog sewers. Crews in London tackle these behemoths, with one fatberg weighing 130 tons. The video explores the challenges posed by 19th-century infrastructure in the face of modern waste, and the efforts to address it. Some fatbergs are transformed into biodiesel at a special plant, reducing carbon emissions. Municipalities are also raising awareness to prevent waste from entering the sewers, with initiatives like promoting the proper disposal of cooking grease and wet wipes.

Takeaways

• 😀 London is battling a massive fatberg, a 26-ton monster made up of fat, grease, wet wipes, and other waste clogging sewers.
• 😀 The city's Victorian-era sewage system is facing modern problems, like fatty diets and the disposal of non-flushable items like wet wipes.
• 😀 Field operations manager Natalie Stern explains the challenges of working in tight, dangerous sewer environments with hazardous gases and risk of contamination.
• 😀 Crews have been working for weeks to remove fatbergs, with some of the material sent to a biofuel plant 4 hours from London.
• 😀 At the biofuel plant, fatbergs are converted into biodiesel through a detailed filtration process, saving significant carbon emissions.
• 😀 After the filtration process, the fatberg's remaining solid waste is disposed of in landfills, while the fat and oil are transformed into biofuel.
• 😀 The biodiesel produced from fatbergs is used to power vehicles like London's iconic double-decker buses.
• 😀 Municipalities across Canada, including Halifax and Vancouver, are launching educational campaigns to reduce the amount of waste entering sewers.
• 😀 Vancouver's 'Wipe it Green' campaign aims to reduce wet wipe disposal down the drain, while London, Ontario, promotes responsible disposal of cooking grease.
• 😀 Canadian municipalities are spending approximately 250 million dollars annually to tackle fatbergs and educate citizens on proper waste disposal.

Q & A

What is the 'fatberg' mentioned in the video?

A fatberg is a large, solidified mass of fat, grease, wet wipes, diapers, and other materials that block sewage systems. It forms when items that shouldn't be flushed, like greasy food waste and wipes, are disposed of improperly.

Why are London's Victorian-era sewers struggling with modern waste?

The Victorian-era sewers weren't designed to handle modern waste, especially the combination of fatty diets and non-biodegradable items like wet wipes, which clog the systems and cause fatbergs.

How did the workers manage to tackle the giant 130-ton fatberg?

Crews used a combination of specialized equipment to break down and remove the fatberg, including sucking out the waste and trucking it away for processing.

What happens to the fatberg once it's removed from the sewers?

Once removed, the fatberg is transported to a plant where it is processed into biodiesel. The fat and grease are filtered and converted into biofuel, reducing carbon emissions.

What is the world's first plant for converting fatbergs into biofuel?

The world's first plant to convert fatbergs into biofuel is located a four-hour drive from London, where the fatberg is processed to create biodiesel.

How does the conversion process work at the biofuel plant?

At the biofuel plant, the fatberg undergoes a series of filtration steps, first removing the larger solids. Then the oil is extracted, heated, and filtered again, before being turned into biodiesel.

How much carbon savings does the conversion of fatberg into biodiesel achieve?

The conversion of fatberg into biodiesel saves approximately 20 tons of carbon for every 20 tons of fatberg processed.

What happens to the waste left over after converting fatberg into biofuel?

The leftover material, which is less than 40% of the original fatberg, ends up in the landfill after the oil is extracted and converted into biofuel.

How are Canadian municipalities addressing fatbergs?

Canadian municipalities spend an estimated 250 million dollars each year on busting fatbergs and clearing other unflushable waste, and they are also working on behavior change campaigns to reduce such waste.

What initiatives are being taken in cities like Halifax, Vancouver, and London, Ontario to tackle waste issues?

In Halifax, a campaign educates the public about responsible bacon fat disposal. Vancouver launched the 'Wipe It Green' campaign to raise awareness about flushing issues, and London, Ontario encourages residents to collect and dispose of cooking grease properly to be turned into alternative fuel.