Everything but the kitchen sink: how to get rid of cooking oils and liquid waste without pouring them down the drain

Cooking oils may seem liquid as they slip down the sink, but in pipes they tend to congeal, solidify and accumulate. Composite: Getty Images

Fatbergs are a sticky problem for sewerage systems – blocking pipes, spawning poo balls, and even forcing the cancellation of a Bryan Adams concert.

When households pour cooking oils, out-of-date milk or the residues of a roast dinner down the sink, it contributes to the buildup of fats, oils and grease – known as FOG – in the wastewater system, and the growth of fatbergs.