Christmas is officially over and 2023 is finally upon us, meaning many of us have signed up to a multitude of New Year’s resolutions in a bid to start the year off on a good foot.

January is synonymous with making a fresh start, whether it be veganuary or dry January, it is often hailed as the month of change after a busy and indulgent month of December.

Some of us may still be working through clearing the house of the last of the Christmas bits and getting a head start on the Spring cleaning mentality - including the leftover food and drink.

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Lots of us like to indulge and treat ourselves over the holidays.

It’s no surprise that a Baileys hot chocolate is a popular Irish staple throughout the winter thanks to the typical Irish weather, but if you are getting rid of any excess, here is something you should never do. We know what you are thinking, why would anyone be throwing out Baileys?! But unlike other alcoholic drinks, Baileys has a much shorter shelf life and disposing of it in the wrong way can cause more damage than you think.

Apparently we could be doing serious damage by ridding any excess or unwanted Baileys by pouring it down the sink as it can easily clog our drains.

Whether you are disposing of an old out of date bottle or you simply couldn’t finish it, be sure to throw it away properly.

Southern Water warned customers to prevent blocking their pipes in the aftermath of the holidays as many of the festive food and drink is extra rich and food waste can be high.

“Something like Baileys, which has a cream content could add to problems. No one likes a nasty surprise over the festive season and a blocked drain is no different." They warn.

“This is the time of year where we do see an increase in blockages, and so many of these can be easily avoided. Blocked sewers can cause flooding to homes and unclogging them can take a lot of time and effort.

Foods like curry are also on the warning list because of its high oil content.

Fat, oil and grease should be left to cool in a container and disposed in the food bin and never poured down the drain.

They warned that 250 tonnes of fat can enter sewage systems for every million turkeys cooked over the holidays.

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