Unitywater is encouraging the community to dispose of their festive food scraps responsibly to avoid wastewater blockages or overflows on their property.
Unitywater Executive Manager Customer Delivery, Rhett Duncan, said 52 wastewater blockages were caused by fat buildup in the 2024-25 financial year across Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast and Noosa.
“That’s one blockage every week which could be easily avoided by not putting the wrong things down the sink,” Mr Duncan said.
“When it comes to cleaning up your festive cooking, leftover fats and oils belong in the bin. If you pour them down the sink, they can congeal in your pipes, creating what are known as ‘fatbergs’ that can cause unpleasant and expensive blockages and overflows.
“Additionally, we know some people might be tempted to flush their prawn shells down the toilet, but these should also go in the bin. To avoid them becoming extra smelly we suggest freezing them and waiting to dispose of them on your rubbish collection day.”
Over this holiday period, Unitywater has rostered 20 crews to keep water and wastewater networks flowing smoothly. This includes six infrastructure operators each day ready to respond to any issues across the region.
“Although many families will be taking a break over the holiday period, as an essential services provider, our teams will continue working 24/7 so we can provide the community with safe and reliable services,” Mr Duncan said.
Mr Duncan said team members working in Unitywater’s Contact Centre over the holiday season would be there to take customer calls on regular business days and closed only on public holidays.
“Of course, our teams are available for any urgent water or wastewater issues, and we encourage customers to phone us at 1300 086 489 at any time of day or night so we can assist quickly,” he said.
For non-urgent issues, customers are encouraged to report these through Unitywater’s website at www.unitywater.com/faults.
