- Gory Details
Huge Blobs of Fat and Trash Are Filling the World’s Sewers
Mountains of grease and debris known as fatbergs are blocking toilets, breaking pipes, and even being illicitly converted into cooking oil.
First, someone might pour molten turkey fat down a drain. A few blocks away, someone else might flush a wet wipe down a toilet. When the two meet in a dank sewer pipe, a baby fatberg is born.
Eventually, more fat, oil, and grease congeal onto the mess and build up into giant stinking globs. When they get big enough, fatbergs can clog sewers entirely, sending raw sewage gushing into streets.
Unlock this story for free
Create an account to read the full story and get unlimited access to hundreds of Nat Geo articles.
