Turning FOG from a sewer problem into a valuable resource

By Cross 8

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The FOG Network 2026 brought together people from across the FOG value chain to explore how Fats, Oils, and Grease can be kept out of sewers and moved towards resource recovery. Convened by Thames Water and Southern Water, organised by Eco Clarity, and supported by facilitators including Hannah Boojers from Cross 8, the day focused on sewer stewardship, recovery routes, and the data needed to prove prevention is working.

For FWA members, the message is clear: turning FOG into a recoverable resource will need practical supply chain innovation.

Most FWA members will be familiar with the results of FOG in the sewer network: pictures of fatbergs, blocked pipes, flooded streets, emergency clean ups. Those images are powerful because they show the visible consequences of failure.

But they can also narrow the conversation too quickly because focusing on FOG blockages means we may be missing an opportunity. An opportunity that is potentially relevant to FWA members.

FOG has value if it is handled properly. If it can be captured, collected, and separated then it can be turned into valuable products like biodiesel, biogas and even upgraded into biomethane for injection into the gas grid.

That opportunity was the focus of The FOG Network 2026, held at London Museum Docklands on 13 May 2026.

The event brought together around 80 people from across the FOG value chain, including water companies, waste operators, recovery facilities, the food sector, and industry bodies. There was a clear goal, summed up in a simple message from keynote speaker Tessa Fayers, Waste and Bioresources Director at Thames Water:

“FOG should not be blocking sewers. It should be reaching resource recovery routes.”

The day was structured around a series of talks and workshops covering three connected questions: how the system works today, how it should work in future, and what data is needed to prove that prevention and recovery are genuinely working.

That is an important shift. Grease traps are still a critical first step, but they are not enough on their own. If FOG is captured on site and then disappears into an unclear waste route, the loop has not really been closed. Resource recovery needs to be the default, not an optional extra.

That is where FWA members may have a particular role to play. This is a space where practical innovation matters: better grease management, better servicing models, better sensing, better verification, better chain of custody, better recovery routes, and better evidence for regulators and customers.

Detailed outputs from the day are being processed, so there will be more to share in this space. But the direction is clear… the sector is trying to move from fragmented FOG prevention to a joined up recovery system. And for FWA members that’s likely to represent an opportunity.

If you’d like to discuss the day in more detail or find out how we can support you on similar projects, contact Cross 8.

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