The 2025 Unblocktober Awards: The Winners
Friday 27th February, 2026In 2025, the Unblocktober Awards returned for their fourth year, celebrating another outstanding group of nominees who have gone above and beyond to support the campaign’s mission. Each year, these awards recognise the individuals and organisations that embody the spirit of Unblocktober through their actions, advocacy and commitment to protecting the UK’s drains, sewers and waterways.
This year’s campaign theme, Don’t Block Our Future, placed a spotlight on the Kitchen Sink Crisis and the everyday habits that contribute to fatbergs, blockages and pollution. From tackling cooking oil disposal to spreading awareness about wet wipes and hidden plastics, our 2025 winners have helped turn knowledge into action in communities across the country.
Each of our winners has shown dedication to Unblocktober’s principles not only during October, but throughout the year. They have each been honoured with a commemorative trophy and a digital winners’ badge, celebrating their achievements and allowing them to share their success online.
Here are the winners of the 2025 Unblocktober Awards:
Our 2025 Business Champion of the Year: FabLittleBag
FabLittleBag has been named Unblocktober’s 2025 Business Champion of the Year, recognised for its long-standing commitment to keeping unflushable waste out of the UK’s sewers, rivers and oceans.
As the creators of eco-friendly disposable period product bags, FabLittleBag has supported Unblocktober since the campaign launched in 2019. Their work speaks directly to one of the campaign’s central aims: helping people change everyday habits that contribute to blockages, fatbergs and pollution in our waterways.
FabLittleBag was founded by Martha Silcott to address the widespread flushing of period products, an issue that continues to place pressure on sewerage systems across the country. As Rachel Buwalda, Marketing Director at FabLittleBag, explained, this purpose has been there from the very beginning:
“We are always campaigning to stop the flushing of period products into the sewerage system, rivers and oceans. In fact, this was one of the key reasons Martha invented FabLittleBags in the first place.”
At the heart of FabLittleBag’s work is education, particularly around the fact that many women and girls still flush period products as a matter of habit. The organisation focuses on providing a simple alternative that makes responsible disposal easier and more normalised.
In recent years, FabLittleBag has worked closely with Southern Water to install bags and dispensers across accommodation blocks at the University of Chichester, after the site was identified as a hotspot for toilet blockages. Similar initiatives have also been introduced at Derby University in partnership with their distributor Bunzl, helping to embed better disposal habits in busy shared environments.
FabLittleBag’s connection with Unblocktober began through the wider community of people working to keep unflushables out of drains and waterways. During Unblocktober itself, FabLittleBag amplified its outreach, sharing consistent “bin, don’t flush” messaging across its social channels throughout the year, with daily reminders during the campaign’s busiest week in October. Alongside social media, the team also delivered talks, webinars and awareness materials in toilet spaces, helping to break down the stigma that often surrounds conversations about period product disposal.
A key part of FabLittleBag’s approach is pairing education with an immediate solution. Rather than simply telling people what not to do, they provide the tools that make change practical. As Rachel put it: “It is this combo of education plus an easy solution that we know changes habits.”
Looking ahead, FabLittleBag remains committed to the wider Unblocktober message that only the Three Ps belong down the toilet, and that fats, oils, grease, wipes and other unflushables must stay out of the sewer system. Rachel stressed that the campaign’s impact comes from consistency and repetition:
“Talking about habits is key! Consistent messaging to effect that habit change.”
And she was clear about the message she hopes more people take on board: “Be aware that only pee, poo and paper should be flushed down the loo or drain!”
FabLittleBag has pledged to continue supporting Unblocktober year after year, helping to protect our sewers and seas by making responsible disposal easier, more visible, and more widely understood. Through their advocacy, partnerships, and practical action, FabLittleBag really exemplifies what it means to be an Unblocktober champion - turning awareness into real-world change.
You can learn more about FabLittleBag and their products by visiting their website:
Our 2025 Individual Champion of the Year: Laura Su
Laura Su has been named Unblocktober’s 2025 Individual Champion of the Year, recognised for her passionate advocacy, practical outreach, and commitment to tackling one of the most persistent causes of sewer blockages: fats, oils and grease (FOG).
Laura is a business development manager at Eco Clarity, an award-winning technology company that collects commercial kitchen FOG and converts it into renewable biofuel. With a background in the UK water and wastewater industry, she brings a deep understanding of how everyday disposal habits can lead to serious consequences for sewer networks and the wider environment.
She first discovered Unblocktober through her professional experience of seeing the impact of FOG misuse first-hand, and quickly identified the campaign’s potential as a powerful way to emphasise the link between individual action and broader environmental impact:
Laura explained: “I first came across Unblocktober through my work, where fat, oil and grease blockages are something I see the impact of regularly. The campaign plays an important role in sharing a hidden problem to a wide audience; It connects simple sink habits to the very real, and often quite shocking, reality of what is happening beneath our streets. That felt like an important story to help tell.”
During the campaign, Laura took Unblocktober’s message directly to communities through talks and conversations with both schools and businesses. She helped bring the issue to life by explaining how fatbergs form and why they are so damaging.
She commented: “Seeing people’s reactions in the room made it clear how powerful that message can be. Many of the most impactful changes really do start at home.”
Alongside her professional work, Laura also emphasises the importance of embedding good habits into everyday life, from wiping pans before washing up to keeping food waste and fats out of the drain. These small actions, repeated consistently, form the foundation of wider change.
When encouraging others to take part, Laura focuses on making the issue real and relatable, showing how quickly everyday habits can escalate into major environmental harm. From her observations, while there is still progress to be made, people do care deeply once they understand the issue clearly.
She said: “Talking about sewer blockages and the giant fatbergs lurking beneath our streets quickly captures attention, especially when people realise these blockages often start with everyday habits at home and at work. People genuinely care about the environment and protecting our rivers and seas; when the issue is explained clearly and people understand what is happening below ground, they are interested, engaged and willing to do better.”
Laura has pledged to continue supporting the campaign in the years ahead, keeping these conversations going beyond October and helping build momentum for lasting change. Her key takeaway is simple, direct, and at the heart of Unblocktober’s mission:
“What you put down the sink really matters. A few simple changes can stop fatbergs from forming and help keep our rivers and seas clean for future generations.”
Laura Su exemplifies what it means to be an Unblocktober Individual Champion, turning awareness into action. We look forward to her continued support in future years!
Learn more about Laura and her work with Eco Clarity here:
https://eco-clarity.com/our-team/
Our 2025 Newcomer of the Year: Maplewood Court Care Home
Maplewood Court Care Home has been named Unblocktober’s 2025 Newcomer of the Year, recognised for bringing the campaign’s message into a new setting and showing how meaningful change can start in places where people may not expect it.
Based in Maidstone, Kent, and part of the Oakland Care group, Maplewood Court is a residential care home that joined Unblocktober for the first time this year as part of its wider commitment to sustainability and responsible environmental practices.
According to Joanna Mazza, General Manager at Maplewood Court, Unblocktober was completely unfamiliar to the team when the home first got involved, but it was embraced quickly due to how seamlessly the campaign aligned naturally with Oakland Care’s values.
She explained: “One of our company values is sustainability, and in view of this, I found the Unblocktober challenge as part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability for care homes. There was not one person in the home aware of Unblocktober before we introduced it… however, now it is something talked about within the home, and people are able to make different choices both at work and at home.”
Maplewood Court introduced Unblocktober during its Green Week celebrations, using the opportunity to encourage staff to reflect on the small everyday habits that affect drain health. The campaign was raised in team meetings, and staff were invited to think about changes they could make not only in the care home, but also in their own households.
Unblocktober became part of the home’s daily routine, and the campaign was promoted enthusiastically on social media. By sharing facts and guidance from the campaign, Maplewood Court helped staff understand the difference that small changes can make when multiplied across a large community. With 131 staff members and the families of 72 residents connected to the home, Joanna described how quickly the campaign’s influence grew:
She said: “I think the impact this has had on our staff and relative groups is amazing - all of the staff team now have committed to less unnecessary flushing and being more mindful about what goes down the sink and toilet.”
For Joanna, one of the biggest lessons from taking part was realising how much individual behaviour matters when everyone plays a part. She also reflected on the value of simply raising awareness in the first place, especially in communities that may not yet be familiar with the issue:
She said: “I think for us, just people being made aware that Unblocktober is a thing would be a great first step… when I read about it, I found it really interesting, and knew we could play a part in making a difference.”
Maplewood Court has pledged to continue supporting Unblocktober in the years ahead, keeping the message alive not just during October, but as part of everyday habits throughout the year. This is exactly what the Newcomer of the Year award represents - new voices, new settings, and a growing national movement to protect our drains, sewers and seas.
Learn more about Maplewood Court Care Home and the work they do:
https://oaklandcare.com/our-care-homes/maplewood-court-maidstone/
Thanks again to everyone who submitted nominations for the fourth annual Unblocktober Awards - and to every individual, organisation, school, and community group that took part in Unblocktober 2025.
We look forward to welcoming even more Unblocktober champions next year as the campaign continues to grow. Please join us again for Unblocktober 2026!
