Scottish Water Adverts - AIBU to think that this is stupid

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I keep seeing adverts on tv for Scottish Water telling us to be more careful with how we use water. For example, one advert tells you to put cooled cooking fats into a sealed plastic container and send it to landfill instead of pouring the fats down the sink. This is surely worse than pouring it down the sink?! Another example is telling you to switch off taps when not in use. I have no problem with this and it is good advice. The problem I do have with this however, is that in England you pay for the water yourself, so there's an incentive to save water to save money. However, in Scotland, it's part of council tax - however much water I save, I will not save money, so there's no incentive to do so.

Does there need to be an incentive to save water?

Of course you don't put fat down the sink. Haven't you heard of the giant fatbergs that firm in the sewers due to fats and wipes being flushed/put down the sink. Other water authorities also say the same

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/apr/21/huge-10-ton-fatberg-removed-chelsea-sewer-london

Why would you put fat down the sink? You take it to the recycling centre and they dispose of it for you. Whats the issue? And why do you need to be incentivised to save water? Surely it's common sense?

The sewer system cannot cope with fat being poured into it. Fat floats on water, it can cause huge blockages in the system.
www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/23586290/britains-biggest-fatberg-removed-from-london-sewer

What lunatic would pour fat down a sink and whether you're water metered or not, running taps is wasteful. What an utterly ridiculous post.

I think not putting fats down the sink is because when they cool they form huge lumps that block the drains and cost lots to remove.

It's not about saving water, it's about not blocking the system.

I'm sure I've seen some pretty gross photos of massive fat lumps that have collected other debris in the sewers.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3487269/Engineers-dig-three-metres-congealed-fatberg-Durham.html another fatberg

People want paid to protect the second most important resource in the world except for air? Do you hit your feet with hammers unless you're paid not to?

Are people this stupid?

You are all missing the point, I agree about not putting fat down the sink btw and I don't, but the point is, with gas and electricity the less I use the less I pay, with water it's a fixed rate (I'm in Scotland) so no incentive, surely if we were billed for water then more people would use less to save money.

And of course the fact that water won't be free for much longer if the council have to spend more on ridding fatbergs and because people go around leaving taps on. That's probably why they have adverts to encourage people to think more.

Isn't it only if you are metered that you get billed for what you use?

Not everyone has a water meter in England. Water is paid for separately to the council tax, but still as an annual set bill. My parents have just had a water meter put in and it's saved them a fortune on their annual bill, but it's just the two of them. Hardly anyone else in the surrounding area has a water meter, however. They are in N. Yorkshire.

Sorry I said free but I meant fixed rate. Eventually the councils will have to charge by usage if people are using too much water or damaging drains.

So by the same token, because you don't have to clear it up and it's outside of the council tax you pay, you litter if you holiday in the uk?

There doesn't have to be an incentive to do something that would have no detriment to you but would have a benefit to the environment.

I live in England and pay water rates and still try not to waste water because I understand that I'm very lucky to live in a country where clean safe drinking water is supplied to every household at a price that is affordable to almost everyone.

You should only put water and the 4 ps into the drainage system (piss poo puke and paper). If you don't want to put fat in landfill you could collect it up and put it out for the birds.

Isn't doing the right thing incentive enough ? I value having safe clean water available on tap. I think it is wrong to waste it. You're effectively saying that the only value somethng can have is monetary.

Plus, if everyone was wasteful with water, more reservoirs would have to be built and that enormous cost would have to be passed on to customers.

I'm not on a water meter. I turn off taps when not in use because it's the right thing to do. I don't need a financial incentive.

Just like turning out lights. I don't switch off lights to save money, really. I'm much more motivated by not being wasteful, not polluting, not needing more power stations built because people are wasteful with electricity.

Well, if people go around pouring far down the sink, the water companies will have to pay to get rid of the resulting fat bergs - I can't imagine that's cheap. And if people waste lots of water, the water company has to pay more for cleaning fresh water to drinking quality, and for waste water treatment.

They'll be wanting to pass those costs onto the customer, which will lead to increased water bills, whether you're on a water meter or not.

And while I do agree water meters can incentivise people to save money, not all properties in England have one. I believe properties built after a certain date have to have a water meter, and people can request a water meter for their property (which then stays permanently even after those people move house), but it's definitely not a universal thing.

I don't care about my electricity costs. I turn off lights because I know in my area we are close to needing a new dam, which will mess with the environment, piss of the Aboriginal people and cost a crap ton of money. So the heat gets turned down.

So you want us to pay water through a meter?

You may only be concerned about the money you have to pay but lots of other people are encouraged by protecting the environment