Yorkshire Water helped almost 3,200 pubs, restaurants, hotels and other venues selling alcohol to dispose of products that had spoiled over the lockdown period.
The water company waived its usual fee to ensure Yorkshire’s businesses were ready to serve customers when they could reopen from 4 July.
An average of 1,200 litres of beer was disposed of by the region’s pubs as they prepared to open their doors and welcome customers.
These pubs and other businesses selling alcohol were able to arrange disposal through a dedicated Yorkshire Water helpline. The water company was able to advise businesses when and where the alcohol could be disposed of to ensure the influx of excess beer did not impact the running of smaller treatment works.
Dan Rowe, trade effluent manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “Many businesses in the region were left with beer they were unable to sell as kegs tapped prior to lockdown were not safe for consumption when customers returned.
“We took the decision to help these businesses where we could, advising them on how to dispose of any waste beer. As a product it is organically very strong, often up to 100 thousand times stronger than normal sewage, so even small volumes could impact treatment works if not managed correctly.
“We had a very positive response from businesses across the region to the work we undertook to help them reopen and we’re glad to have played our part in getting Yorkshire’s hospitality industry up and running as soon as was possible.”
