Fatberg Epidemic Affecting New York City

Feb. 21, 2019

Fatberg removal costs have doubled in the past decade in New York City

In New York City, the cost of removing fatberg debris has more than doubled since 2007, according to Edward Timbers, the director of communications for the city’s Department of Environmental Protection. Products such as flushable wipes and bacon grease are seemingly to blame.

Left on their own, fatbergs can cause untreated water to flow into local waterways, or they can even backup of sewer water into homes, a public health issue. According to Timbers, cleaning screens and repairing damage from “baby fatbergs” and their kin currently costs the city about $20 million annually.

According to Slate, they’ve been in Charleston, Baltimore and London, just to name a few. A fatberg was found beneath a small town southwest of London, which was alarming considering the small amount of people doing the flushing.

New York City has recently undertaken a campaign describing the fatbergs on fatbergfree.nyc as “huge, disgusting, destructive and costly”, alongside a cartoon illustration of a pile of grease, cotton swabs and sanitary pads. According to Slate, recently deployed posters in subways feature the cartoon fatberg, along with giant, children’s-book style illustrations of where to dump bacon grease, tampons, and wipes instead of the drain.

Timbers says alongside grease, the main concern is wet wipes. In 2017, New York City “took 53,269 tons of debris (mostly wipes) off of our treatment plant screens and transported them to landfill,” Timber said in an email.

However, products like toilet paper sprays and gels have been developed to address the desire to have something wet to wipe with and are a more environmentally friendly alternative.

Sponsored Recommendations

Blower Package Integration

March 20, 2024
See how an integrated blower package can save you time, money, and energy, in a wastewater treatment system. With package integration, you have a completely integrated blower ...

Strut Comparison Chart

March 12, 2024
Conduit support systems are an integral part of construction infrastructure. Compare steel, aluminum and fiberglass strut support systems.

Energy Efficient System Design for WWTPs

Feb. 7, 2024
System splitting with adaptive control reduces electrical, maintenance, and initial investment costs.

Blower Isentropic Efficiency Explained

Feb. 7, 2024
Learn more about isentropic efficiency and specific performance as they relate to blowers.