Disgusting 'fatbergs' and 'rags' blocking Australian city's pipes
A stomach-churning problem is blocking water pipes beneath Perth.
Water bosses have revealed the disgusting hazards they have to deal with under the ground.
Firstly there are the tangled messes of debris wrongly flushed down the toilet.
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A tangled mess of debris which is wrongly flushed, creating what's dubbed a 'rag'. Nine
Known as a "rag", the gross mass of waste congeals together, blocking the city's pipes.
"It's a collection of paper towels, baby wipes, cotton buds, all sorts of things, clothing items that get flushed down," Water Corporation service delivery manager Paul Prottey said.
Just one of the gross concoctions can weigh up to 150 kilograms so cranes are needed to lift them out.
The Water Corporation pulled more than 400 rags from its wastewater pump stations last year alone in the city - costing taxpayers over a million dollars a year. Nine
The Water Corporation pulled more than 400 rags from its city wastewater pump stations last year alone - costing taxpayers more than $1 million dollars.
An incredible 700 "fatbergs" were also removed.
They're the stinking great hulks of fat caused by people pouring grease and oil down the sink.
At the Beenyup Water Resource Recovery Facility in Craigie, machines process 135 million litres of waste water a day so it can be safety returned to the environment.
Some of the items uncovered in the process are unbelievable.
A prosthetic limb, jewellery, mobile phones, children's toys, tennis balls, clothing and even a whole bed sheet have been pulled out after being flushed.
A fatberg in a pipe under Perth. Nine
The top three Perth suburbs for rag blockages last year include Baldivis, Mount Lawley and Mosman Park.
For fatbergs it was Wembley, Nedlands and Armadale.
Plumbers are also reporting an increase in call outs due to non-flushable items blocking household drains.
"In the last two years we've seen blockages increase by up to 23 per cent across the board, a lot of it is from oil, wet wipes and kids throwing toys down the drain," plumber Sam Clarke said.
The average blockage costs a household around $300 but it can be avoided.
Fat should be allowed to cool and then scraped off into a tray or mopped it up with a paper towel and put in the rubbish.
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