Fatberg

{{Short description|Mass of congealed fat in sewers}} {{EngvarB|date=October 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}} thumb|A dried section of the Whitechapel fatberg,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-09-12 |title='Monster' fatberg found blocking east London sewer |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-41238272 |access-date=2025-11-21 |language=en-GB}}</ref> on display at the Museum of London

A '''fatberg''' is a rock-like mass of waste matter in a sewer system formed by the combination of flushed non-biodegradable solids (such as wet wipes) with fat, oil, and grease (FOG) deposits.<ref name="Del MundoSutheerawattananonda2017">{{cite journal|last1=Del Mundo|first1=Dann Marie N.|last2=Sutheerawattananonda|first2=Manote|title=Influence of fat and oil type on the yield, physico-chemical properties, and microstructure of fat, oil, and grease (FOG) deposits|journal=Water Research|volume=124|year=2017|pages=308–319|issn=0043-1354|doi=10.1016/j.watres.2017.07.047|pmid=28777952|bibcode=2017WatRe.124..308D }}</ref><ref name="thames">{{cite web|url=https://corporate.thameswater.co.uk/Media/News-releases/Monster-fatberg-longer-than-two-Wembley-football-pitches-clogging-up-Whitechapel-sewer|title=Monster fatberg longer than two Wembley football pitches clogging up Whitechapel sewer|website=corporate.thameswater.co.uk|access-date=10 February 2018|archive-date=29 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329150507/https://corporate.thameswater.co.uk/Media/News-releases/Monster-fatberg-longer-than-two-Wembley-football-pitches-clogging-up-Whitechapel-sewer|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/44034025|title=Wet wipes could face wipe-out|date=2018-05-08|work=BBC News |access-date=2018-05-08|language=en-GB}}</ref> The handling of FOG waste and the buildup of its deposits are a long-standing problem in waste management, with "fatberg" a more recent neologism.<ref name="WallaceGibbons2017">{{cite journal|last1=Wallace|first1=Thomas|last2=Gibbons|first2=David|last3=O'Dwyer|first3=Michael|last4=Curran|first4=Thomas P.|title=International evolution of fat, oil and grease (FOG) waste management – A review|journal=Journal of Environmental Management|volume=187|year=2017|pages=424–435|issn=0301-4797|doi=10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.11.003|pmid=27838205|bibcode=2017JEnvM.187..424W |hdl=10197/8257|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Fatbergs have formed in sewers worldwide, with the rise in usage of disposable (so-called "flushable") wet wipes. Several prominent examples were discovered in the 2010s in Great Britain, their formation accelerated by aging Victorian sewers. Fatbergs are costly to remove, and they have given rise to public awareness campaigns about flushable waste.

==Formation== Fatbergs form at the rough surfaces of sewers where the fluid flow becomes turbulent. In pipes and tubes with smooth inner linings, fluid near the containing wall flows only slightly slower than fluid in the central channel of the pipe; thus, the whole volume of fluid flows smoothly and freely. When fluid encounters an obstruction, a resulting swirl of water starts trapping debris. Fatbergs occur in sewer systems around the globe, in cities and smaller towns.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=Quevatre |first=Chris |date=20 January 2019 |title=War on fatbergs: Can this 21st Century peril be blitzed? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-46836867 |access-date=20 January 2019 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

An obstruction can be any type of rough surface capable of snagging debris. In brick or concrete sewers, there may be surplus cement drips, damaged brickwork, or loose mortar joints damaged by frost heave. In any subsurface pipe, even of the most advanced design, penetration by foreign intrusions such as tree roots is a commonplace cause of a fatberg blockage.

Fatbergs are not just the result of fats that have congealed through cooling. The lipids in fatbergs have undergone a process of saponification.<ref name="WallaceGibbons2017" /><ref name="Del MundoSutheerawattananonda2017" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/18/dont-feed-fatberg-museum-london-clogging-sewers-oil |title=Don't feed the fatberg! What a slice of oily sewage says about modern life |date=18 Feb 2018 |website=The Guardian }}</ref> Fatbergs thus require four main components: calcium, free fatty acids, FOG, and water.<ref name="WallaceGibbons2017" /> Comprising not only wet wipes and fat, fatbergs may contain other items that do not break apart or dissolve when flushed down the toilet, such as sanitary napkins, cotton buds, needles,<ref name="museum">{{cite web |title=Fatberg! Exhibiting the Monster of Whitechapel |url=https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/exhibiting-fatberg-monster-whitechapel |publisher=Museum of London}}</ref> condoms, and food waste from garbage disposal units washed down kitchen sinks.<ref name="thames"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Rob |title=Britain's biggest ever 'fatberg' – the size of a bus and weighing 15 tonnes – found in London drain |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/britains-biggest-ever-fatberg--the-size-of-a-bus-and-weighing-15-tonnes--found-in-london-drain-8746672.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=5 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/insane-photos-shows-sewer-workers-161632806.html |title=Gross Photos Show Sewer Workers Battling A 'Fatberg' The Size of a Boeing 747 Under London |first1=Jim |last1=Edwards |date=September 2014 |publisher=Yahoo/Business Insider |access-date=1 September 2014}}</ref> The resulting lumps of congealed material can be as strong as concrete, and require specialist equipment to remove.<ref name="thames"/> In the United States, almost half of all sewer blockages are caused by grease,<ref name=":2">{{cite report |date=August 2004 |title=Report to Congress: Impacts and Control of Combined Sewer Overflows and Sanitary Sewer Overflows |url=https://www.epa.gov/npdes/2004-npdes-cso-report-congress |publisher=United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=4–28 |id=EPA 833-R-04-001}}</ref> combined with the ever-growing use of wipes that end up in sewer systems.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-03-26|title=America's Obsession With Wipes Is Tearing Up Sewer Systems |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-26/pandemic-wipes-create-sewer-clogging-fatbergs |access-date=2021-04-07}}</ref>

== Impact == Fatbergs can cause blockages in sewer systems. Giant fatbergs have blocked sewers in London, New York, Denver, Valencia, and Melbourne.<ref name=":1" /> Blocked fat reacts with the lining of the pipe and undergoes saponification, converting the oil into a solid, soap-like substance.<ref name="museum" /> Grease and fat blockages can cause sanitary sewer overflows, in which sewage is discharged into the environment without treatment.<ref name=":2" /> ==Use in industry== Fatbergs have been considered as a source of fuel,<ref>{{cite web |title=Kevin McCloud's Man Made Home |url=https://www.channel4.com/programmes/kevin-mcclouds-man-made-home |work=Channel 4}}</ref> specifically biogas.<ref>{{cite news |date=8 April 2013 |title=Thames Water and 2OC in £200m deal to turn 'fatbergs' into energy |publisher=waterbriefing.org |url=http://www.waterbriefing.org/home/company-news/item/7231-thames-water-and-2oc-in-%C2%A3200m-deal-to-turn-%E2%80%98fatbergs%E2%80%99-into-energy |access-date=2 June 2013}}</ref> Most of the fatberg discovered in Whitechapel in London in 2017, weighing {{convert|130|t|LT ST|0}} and stretching more than {{convert|250|m|ft}}, was destroyed, but some of it was converted into biodiesel.<ref name="museum" /><ref>{{cite news |date=8 February 2018 |title='Monster' Whitechapel fatberg unveiled at London museum |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-42986433 |access-date=11 May 2018}}</ref>

In the UK, sterilized fatberg treated with a specialized bacteria produces a chemical with a pine-like smell, which can be used as an ingredient in perfumes.<ref name="Pallab">{{cite news |last1=Ghosh |first1=Pallab |title=Fatbergs turned into perfume - inside Britain's bizarre new industrial revolution |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz6pje1z5dqo |work=BBC News |date=14 January 2025}}</ref>

== Mitigation == Fatbergs can be mitigated through public awareness campaigns about flushable waste and grease traps for filtration at the source.<ref name=":0" /> Many U.S. municipalities require restaurants and food processing businesses to use grease interceptors and regulate the disposal of FOG in the sewer system.<ref>For example, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) in Maryland, U.S.: {{cite web |title=Fats, Oils, & Grease |url=https://www.wsscwater.com/fog |website=Special Wastewater Discharge Requirements |date=2023-12-29 |publisher=WSSC |location=Laurel, MD}}</ref> Campaigns have been launched against wet wipes because of their effect on sewer systems, including by Surfers Against Sewage, the Marine Conservation Society and other environmental NGOs who called on the UK's Advertising Standards Authority to end "misleading" branding and packaging.<ref>{{cite news |date=21 September 2016 |title=Wessex Water lodge 'flushable' wet wipes complaint with Advertising Standards Authority |work=Bath Echo |url=https://www.bathecho.co.uk/news/business/wessex-water-lodge-flushable-wet-wipes-complaint-advertising-standards-authority-68775/ |access-date=6 November 2019}}</ref>

In 2022, Australia and New Zealand developed a product labelling standard to help determine if a product is flushable.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ruddick |first=Baz |date=2022-05-24 |title=A new 'flushability' logo will appear on products in a bid to stop monstrous 'fatbergs' forming |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-24/fatbergs-australia-flushable-label-waste/101094358 |access-date=2022-05-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hunt |first=Tom |date=2022-05-24 |title='Fatberg' fightback: New rules about what is deemed flushable in toilets |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/128748767/fatberg-fightback-new-rules-about-what-is-deemed-flushable-in-toilets |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref>

==Etymology== {{wiktionary}} Fatberg is a portmanteau of the words ''fat'' and ''iceberg''. The word was used in 2008 to describe "large, rock-like lumps of cooking fat" washing up on beaches in Wales, and by 2010 was used in reference to sewer-blocking fat deposits in London.<ref>{{cite web |title=fatberg, n. |url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/59326664 |website=www.oed.com |publisher=Oxford English Dictionary |access-date=23 February 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

The word was added to Oxford Dictionaries Online in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=New words in oxforddictionaries|website=TheGuardian.com|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/27/hangry-bants-fatberg-new-words-in-oxforddictionaries|access-date=28 August 2015}}</ref> The term is used by authorities at Thames Water<ref name="thames"/> and South West Water,<ref name="sidmouthSWW">{{Cite web|url=https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/water-advice-and-services/sidmouth-fatberg/|title=The Sidmouth fatberg|publisher=South West Water|access-date=9 January 2019|archive-date=9 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109205123/https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/water-advice-and-services/sidmouth-fatberg/|url-status=dead}}</ref> both in southern England.

==Notable fatbergs== *6 August 2013: A fatberg roughly the size of a bus that weighed {{convert|15|tonne|ST}}, consisting of food fat and wet wipes, was discovered in drains under London Road in Kingston upon Thames, London.<ref>{{cite news |date=2013-08-06 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-23586290 |access-date=8 November 2024 |title=Britain's biggest 'fatberg' removed from London sewer |work=BBC News }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Wet Wipes Box Says Flush, but the New York City Sewer System Says Don't |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/nyregion/the-wet-wipes-box-says-flush-but-the-new-york-city-sewer-system-says-dont.html |quote=The consummate cautionary tale is that of London, where in 2013 a collection of wipes, congealed cooking oil and other materials totaled 15 [metric] tons, according to Thames Water, the utility company that removed it. It was known, like some previous occurrences, as the fatberg. "We reckon it has to be the biggest such berg in British history," Gordon Hailwood, an official with Thames Water, said at the time. |newspaper=The New York Times |date=13 March 2015 |access-date=13 March 2015 |first=Matt |last=Flegenheimer}}</ref> * 1 September 2014: A solid mass of waste fat, wet wipes, food, tennis balls and wood planks, the size of a Boeing 747 aeroplane was discovered and cleared by sanitation workers in a drain beneath an {{convert|260|ft|m|-1|adj=mid|order=flip}} section of road in Shepherd's Bush, London.<ref>{{cite news |date=2014-09-01 |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/enormous-fatberg-size-aeroplane-found-4145785 |title=Enormous 'fatberg' the size of an AEROPLANE found blocking sewers in London |work=Mirror UK }}</ref> * 3 September 2014: The sewerage system beneath Melbourne, Australia was clogged by a large mass of fat, grease and waste.<ref>{{cite news |date=2014-09-03 |url=http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/melbournes-sewerage-system-clogged-by-fatberg-warns-yarra-valley-water/story-e6frflp0-1227046044212 |title=Melbourne's sewerage system clogged by fatberg, warns Yarra Valley Water |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912003535/http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/melbournes-sewerage-system-clogged-by-fatberg-warns-yarra-valley-water/story-e6frflp0-1227046044212 |archive-date=12 September 2014 |work=News.com.au }}</ref> * January 2015: As part of a campaign against drain blocking, Welsh Water released a video showing a fatberg in drains in Cardiff.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wales-31367573|title='Fatberg' found blocking Cardiff sewer|date=10 February 2015|work=BBC News }}</ref> * April 2015: A {{convert|40|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}} fatberg was removed from sewers under Chelsea. It took over two months to remove, and the damage it caused cost an estimated £400,000 to repair.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/apr/21/huge-10-ton-fatberg-removed-chelsea-sewer-london |title=10-tonne fatberg removed from west London sewer |first= Rebecca|last= Ratclife|work=The Guardian |date= 21 April 2015|access-date=21 April 2015}}</ref> * July 2015: A {{convert|120|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}} fatberg was discovered in Welshpool in mid-Wales.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-33438913|title=120m fat blockage found in sewer|date=8 July 2015|work=BBC News |access-date=11 October 2017|language=en-GB}}</ref> * January 2016: A blockage caused by a fatberg near Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, damaged the Eleebana sewage pumping station. The fatberg "weighed about {{one2a|{{convert|1|tonne|ST|spell=in|disp=sqbr}}}} and took four hours to remove" by crane.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cox|first1=Dan|title=Wet wipes blockage weighing a tonne pulled out of sewer pipe near Newcastle|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-25/monster-wet-wipes-blockage-pulled-out-of-sewer-pipe/7199230|work=1233 ABC Newcastle|date=25 February 2016}}</ref> thumb|Whitechapel Fatberg memorial manhole cover * September 2017: A {{convert|250|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}} fatberg weighing over {{convert|130|tonne|ST}} was found under Whitechapel, London.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41238272|title='Monster' fatberg found blocking east London sewer|date=12 September 2017|work=BBC News |access-date=12 September 2017}}</ref> Even working seven days a week at a cost of £1&nbsp;million per month, officials estimated it would take two months to destroy it.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/fatberg-found-baltimore-sewer-system-overflow-50101478|title='Fatberg' found in Baltimore sewer system after overflow|work=ABC News|access-date=26 September 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926214813/https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/fatberg-found-baltimore-sewer-system-overflow-50101478|archive-date=26 September 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/11/fatbergs-london-restaurants-oil-food-grease-traps|title=Fatbergs: 90% of London restaurants are contributing to problem|last=Johnston|first=Chris|date=10 October 2017|work=The Guardian |access-date=11 October 2017|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Two pieces of the fatberg were cut off on 4 October 2017 and, after several weeks of drying, were displayed at the Museum of London from 9 February 2018 through June 2018, as part of the museum's City Now City Future season.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Adams|first1=Tim|title=London's fatberg on show: 'We thought of pickling it'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/feb/04/fatberg-museum-london-display-pickling-age-waste|access-date=10 February 2018|work=The Observer|date=4 February 2018|ref=Observer2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Knight|first1=Sam|title=A Fatberg's Journey from the Sewer to the Museum of London|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/londons-favorite-new-fatberg|access-date=10 February 2018|magazine=The New Yorker|date=9 February 2018|ref=NewYorker2018}}</ref> According to curator Vyki Sparkes, the fatberg became one of the museum's most popular exhibits.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-44615693|title=Mouldy fatberg draws crowds|last=Coughlan|first=Sean|work=BBC News |date=27 June 2018}}</ref> * September 2017: A fatberg of congealed fat, wet wipes, and waste was discovered under the streets of Baltimore, Maryland, US, that caused the spillage of {{Convert|1.2|e6usgal|e6l e6impgal|1|abbr=off}} of sewage into Jones Falls.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-fatberg-20170925-story.html|title='Fatberg' of congealed fat, wet wipes and waste discovered under Baltimore's streets, causing sewer overflows|last=Wells|first=Carrie|work=The Baltimore Sun|access-date=26 September 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=7 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407051202/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-fatberg-20170925-story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> * April 2018: A fatberg discovered under South Bank in London is suspected to be larger than the one found under Whitechapel.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/24/fatberg-autopsy-reveals-growing-health-threat-londoners |title=Fatberg 'autopsy' reveals growing health threat to Londoners |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Nadia |last=Khomami |date=24 April 2018 }}</ref> * 12 September 2018: Workers in Macomb County, Michigan, US, discovered a fatberg 100 feet long, 11 feet wide and as much as 6 feet tall.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2018/09/12/giant-fatberg-found-in-macomb-county-sewer-pipe/|title=Giant 'fatberg' found in Macomb County sewer pipe|last=Bartkowiak|first=Dave|date=2018-09-12|work=Click On Detroit|access-date=2021-08-22|language=en}}</ref> The Michigan Science Center launched a 'fatberg' exhibit in December 2018, which included real pieces from the mass found in September.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2019/12/michigan-science-center-fatberg-exhibit/|title=Don't Feed the Fatberg: Michigan Science Center launches its new fatberg exhibit|last=Blakely|first=Natasha|date=2019-12-06|work=Great Lakes Now|access-date=2021-08-22|language=en}}</ref> * December 2018: Sewer workers discovered a fatberg in Sidmouth, Devon that was {{convert|64|m|ft}} long. Workers took eight weeks to remove it.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/08/sixty-four-metre-fatberg-discovered-in-english-seaside-resort-sidmouth-devon|title=Sixty-four-metre 'fatberg' discovered in English seaside resort|last=Morris|first=Steven|date=2019-01-08|work=The Guardian |access-date=2019-02-23|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> It was the largest fatberg discovered in the UK outside a major city,<ref>{{cite news |title=Monster fatberg found blocking Sidmouth sewer |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-46787461 |work=BBC News |date=8 January 2019}}</ref> and the largest in the history of South West Water.<ref name="sidmouthSWW"/> * February 2019: The largest fatberg in the UK was discovered in a sewer at Birchall Street in Liverpool. It weighed {{convert|400|t|ST}} and was {{convert|250|m|ft}} long. It proved to be difficult to break down using conventional tools and equipment.<ref>{{cite news |title=Monster found in liverpool sewer |url=https://www.unitedutilities.com/help-and-support/wastewater-services/Monster-found-in-liverpool-sewer/ |access-date=22 July 2019 |work=www.unitedutilities.com}}</ref> It was finally removed in May 2021 using a new method of clearing, which consisted of workers feeding a steel rope through it and then cutting it with a jet.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-05-21 |title=Liverpool 200-tonne fatberg 'eaten from inside out' in removal |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-57203734 |access-date=2022-09-08}}</ref> *December 2019: A large fatberg in the north of England was reported by United Utilities under HM Prison Manchester. The {{convert|170|ft|m|order=flip|adj=mid|-long}} fatberg was estimated to weigh "around the same as three elephants", taking several weeks to remove fully.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-50857203|title=Fatberg 'as heavy as three elephants' under prison|date=2019-12-19|work=BBC News |access-date=2019-12-20|language=en-GB}}</ref> *April 2020: A {{convert|42|tonne|ST|adj=on}} fatberg the size of a petrol tanker was discovered in Melbourne, Australia. Its unusually large size in relation to other Australian blockages (far exceeding the 2014 and 2016 Australian fatbergs) was blamed primarily on the shortage of toilet paper caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://7news.com.au/business/water/huge-melbourne-fatberg-discovered-after-wet-wipes-and-tissues-flushed-c-974232|title=The flushed items that caused a 42-tonne 'fatberg' in Melbourne|date=2020-04-14|website=7NEWS.com.au|language=en|access-date=2020-04-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/giant-fatberg-discovered-melbourne-sewer-by-yarra-valley-water/870aadd6-ccd8-41ae-b1af-464c37726d01|title=Giant fatberg heavier than petrol tanker discovered in Melbourne sewer|website=www.9news.com.au|date=14 April 2020 |access-date=2020-04-14}}</ref> *26 June 2020: Two years after a large mass of fat was jet cleaned from Gisborne's sewer network in New Zealand, a half-tonne fatberg built up in the same place. The second fatberg caused an overflow of the wastewater system, which the Gisborne District Council attributed to COVID-19 claiming that they "had significant problems with pump stations blocking because more people were at home and their behaviour had changed."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Half-tonne fatberg in Gisborne blocks the wastewater network|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/half-tonne-fatberg-in-gisborne-blocks-the-wastewater-network/C7ZGHQ6I2VENGRVB2THIE6I4TU/|access-date=2021-04-07|website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}</ref> *October 2020: A 10-tonne fatberg made up of grease, fat, and wet wipes was removed from sewers under Cadogan Place in London, England.<ref name=BBCNov>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-54735988|title=Belgravia fatberg: 'Disgusting' mass cleared from sewer|date=31 October 2020|work=BBC News|access-date=14 November 2020}}</ref> *February 2021: A "huge and disgusting" fatberg described as having the same weight as a bungalow was removed from under Yabsley Street in Canary Wharf, London, England.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-02-19|title=Canary Wharf fatberg: Mass 'weight of bungalow' cleared from sewer|language=en-GB|work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-56124639|access-date=2021-02-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Campbell |first1=Lucy |title=Workers clear 'huge, disgusting' fatberg from London sewer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/19/workers-clear-huge-disgusting-fatberg-from-london-sewer |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=19 February 2021}}</ref> *April 2021: A giant fatberg, weighing about 300 tonnes, was found to be clogging a sewer in the Hodge Hill area of Birmingham, England. Severn Trent commented that it was estimated to be one of the biggest blockages they had ever dealt with.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-04-30|title=Giant 300-tonne fatberg blocks Birmingham sewer|language=en-GB|work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-56952152|access-date=2021-05-01}}</ref> *October 2023: The ''Galway City Tribune'' reported that a fatberg had washed up on Silverstrand Beach in Ireland. Specific concern from pet owners walking their dogs on the beach led to the removal of the lump by local residents.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Corrigan |first=Stephen |date=2023-10-06 |title=Warning to pet owners after 'fatberg' washes up at Silverstrand |url=https://connachttribune.ie/warning-to-pet-owners-after-fatberg-washes-up-at-silverstrand/ |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=Connacht Tribune - Galway City Tribune |language=en-GB}}</ref> *October 2024: Thousands of black golf ball-sized pieces of debris washed ashore at two popular beaches in Sydney, Australia. Initially feared to be "tarballs" from a petrochemical leak, later testing by the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority determined the balls to be fatbergs. <ref>{{Cite web |title=NSW regulator chose to reveal content of Sydney's mystery beach balls on day of US election {{!}} Sydney {{!}} The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/nov/09/nsw-regulator-chose-to-reveal-content-of-sydneys-mystery-beach-balls-on-day-of-us-election |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=amp.theguardian.com|date=9 November 2024 |last1=Touma |first1=Rafqa }}</ref> *February 2025: A fatberg in Perth caused a Bryan Adams concert to be cancelled because of public health concerns. A separate fatberg also caused flooding in a nearby hospital the day before.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-02-10 |title=Bryan Adams fans disappointed after fatberg causes Perth show cancellation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-10/sewer-blockage-forces-cancellation-bryan-adams-perth-show/104918464 |access-date=2025-12-22 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref> *December 2025: A fatberg in east London was discovered weighing about 100 tonnes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-22 |title=Huge 100-tonne fatberg found in London sewers |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj9ydve2kz7o |access-date=2025-12-22 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{Sewerage}}

Category:Sewerage