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Working in partnership

Abi Wicks – Customer Engagement Manager

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January 2025

Just Bin It & Pollution Watch

Wipes are blocking the pipes

Each year our teams clear 37,000 blockages from the sewer network. Nearly all of these are avoidable and caused by rubbish like wet wipes, nappies sanitary products and cooking fat and oil being flushed down toilets or put down sinks.

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From wiping bottoms, to removing makeup, to cleaning down the sides after dinner — wipes are a household staple for many, but they are finding their way into the sewers and are the biggest cause of sewer blockages. Although many wet wipes are still branded as ‘flushable’ that doesn’t mean they should be, as they cause chaos in the sewers. Like any plastic item, wipes can stay around for thousands of years before they start to biodegrade.

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Just Bin It Hotspot areas

Southend

Kettering

Northampton

Basildon

We're targeting the hotspot areas with:

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Sewer monitoring

Customer letters

Customer Engagement

Face to face interactions

Partnership working – outreach through trusted voices

Engagement with influential voices – local MP's

Radio

Out of home advertising (e.g. side of buses)

Street signs

Schools & high education engagement

Targeted socials

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Everywhere else will get

Radio & general social media

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Our key messages

Why:

• Every year we remove around 3,000 tonnes of waste causing blockages in the sewers. But 80% are avoidable.

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• Our teams clear one blockage every 15 minutes.

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• Wet wipes, sanitary products, nappies and cooking oils are all rubbish blocking the pipes, which should have gone in the bin and not down the loo or sink.

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• Blockages in the pipes impact local communities and homes with bad smells and sewer flooding, so it's important we just bin waste to avoid a blocked pipe.

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• On average a plumbing bill to unblock a pipe can cost £100.

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What we do:

• We all have a role to play in protecting local communities and our environment. ​

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• Preventing blockages is fundamental part of what we do to keep toilets flushing for our customers.

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• We’re committed to keeping our sewers clean and healthy by regularly maintaining pipes in the network and unblocking sewers and drains before an incident occurs.​

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• We're using state of the art smart sewer monitors which alert us of a potential blockage before it can become a problem

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The number of skips we fill with unflushables each year stacked on top of one another would be almost as high as Everest

If you choose to JUST BIN IT to keep sewers clear, we can prevent 80% of blockages in our sewer network

3,000 tonnes of wet wipes, sanitary products and other plastic waste tangled with cooking fats and oils are found in our sewers every year — that’s like 30 blue whales blocking the pipes

Although wet wipes are still branded as 'flushable', like any other plastic they can stay around for thousands of years before they start to biodegrade – causing chaos in the pipes 

Down plug holes and toilets

What we are doing

Sewer monitors – proactively sewer flushing

Working with local businesses

Our storm overflow map – and storm overflow monitors

Wetlands

Storm tanks

Through comms drive awareness and education as the foundations of behaviour change

Told through the ‘Story behind our water’ leveraging our people and the work they do everyday – ‘Edutainment’

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Introducing our new behaviour change vehicle ‘Just Bin It’ and build on existing comms assets to focus on the specific behaviour of encouraging customers to 'bin' unflushable items.

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Supported through a full comms campaign across paid, owned and earned channels and engagement to maximise reach and visibility over a sustained period of time.

Engagement and Education channels

Hook/Issue

CTA

Why

• Wipes
• Nappies
• Period products
• Cotton buds
• Fats, oil, grease
• Food
• AOB i.e. vapes

• Don’t flush it
• And give plastics a second life
• To keep the pipes clear
• Or reuse it

JUST BIN IT

Spread the word in the community - Leaflet & Posters

There's nothing quite like seeing a poster or leaflets in person to get people thinking about what should and shouldn't be flushed.

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TOOLKIT TO SHARE WITH TEAMS SHORTLY

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A4 Posters

A5 double sided flyers

Pollution watch

The background

No-one wants to see our region’s waterways polluted. You can help us tackle pollutions by telling us if you see something that doesn’t look right in or near a stream, river or the coast as quickly as possible.

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We’re looking for the support of groups within communities to help share the message of what to look out for in water, and where to report it to us so we can act as quickly as possible.

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Our key messages

Why:

• No one wants  to see a pollution in our waterways, that’s why it's important to report any potential issues as quickly as possible. ​
• Anything you find in the environment which shouldn’t be there, causing an impact on the surrounding area is defined as a pollution. ​
• Lots of different types of pollution can affect our rivers from chemical spills and farming run-off to sewage and household waste. ​
• Pollutions can impact not only the local environment, communities but also your home.​
• Over a third of pollutions are mainly caused by blocked pipes as they cause wastewater to back up and overflow, coming back to the surface from underground sewers and drains. 80% of blockages are avoidable and we clear roughly 40,000 in the region a year, around one blockage every 15 minutes. ​​

What we do:

• We all have a role to play in protecting our environment and communities. ​

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• Preventing pollution is a fundamental part of what we do.  We are committed to love every drop and protect our rivers and streams from any harm.​

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• We work closely with the Environment Agency, as our regulator, to reduce the escape of sewage into the environment.  We’re committed to keeping our sewers clean and healthy by regularly maintaining pipes in the network and unblocking sewers and drains before an incident occurs.​

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• If you spot pollution we want to identify and investigate as quickly as possible.​

How to spot sewage pollution

In a river or stream

• Toilet debris e.g. toilet paper, wipes, sanitary waste
• Soap suds or a milky-coloured discharge 
• Grey coloured water
• Sewage smell

Reporting sewage pollution in a river, stream or other watercourse, call 03457 145 145

In homes or gardens

• Overspilling toilet
• Sewage leaking from a manhole
• Rising toilet water when you flush

Creative assets you can use

And finally...

Anglian Water

• https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/services/wastewater-treatment/down-plugholes-and-toilets/
• https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/environment/
• https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/environment/river-health/working-together-to-get-river-positive/
• https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/environment/river-health/our-regions-river-health/storm-tanks/
• https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/environment/river-health/river-biodiversity/
• https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/environment/river-health/river-biodiversity/meet-the-essex-beavers/
• https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/environment/river-health/river-biodiversity/wetlands/
• https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/environment/river-health/our-regions-river-health/
• https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/environment/river-health/our-regions-river-health/inland-bathing-water/ 

Useful links

How to get in touch with AW

Find us on social media

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Billing and account queries: 

03457 919 155

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Water and sewerage queries: 

03457 145 145

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Priority Services Register: 

0800 141 2934

CustService@anglianwater.co.uk

Anglian Water

PO Box 4994

LANCING

BN11 9AL

Email us

Call us

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Write to us

@AnglianWater

Visit: https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/contact-us/

Meter queries: 

0345 850 5852

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Report a leak: 

0800 771 881

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Spot a pollution?

03456 145 145

Thank you �for participating