
Before: Fat "Ceiling"Photograph courtesy Thames WaterFat thickly coats a Thames Water-administered sewer in Reading (map), U.K., in May 2009.
The fat "ceiling" is the result of years of what the company calls sewer abuse—the pouring of food waste down sinks and the flushing of items other than toilet paper and human waste.
Once in the sewers, leftover meat fat gets mixed in with items like makeup wipes, diapers,...