With the excitement of the holiday season, you likely don’t spend much time thinking about your wastewater system. By disposing of fats, oils and grease in the trash and not down your drain, you can play an important role in keeping your home and community’s system running smoothly.
Fats, oils and greases (or FOG) are the most common sources of sewer blockages that can lead to expensive and unpleasant backups. FOG acts like cholesterol in the human body, it can stick to the inside of sewer pipes, build up and eventually cause complete blockages.
Common FOG substances that make their way into the wastewater system include: cooking oil, lard, meat scraps, milk products, gravy, sauces, butter and shortening.
You can prevent FOG buildup and sewer spills by taking these simple steps:
- Do not pour cooking oil, shortening, lard, meat dripping, butter, gravy or mayonnaise down the drain.
- Pour the above substances into a milk carton, frozen juice can or other non-recyclable container and throw it in the garbage, not down the drain.
- Before you wash greasy pots and pans or put them in the dishwasher, wipe out the grease with a paper towel, and throw the towel in the garbage.
- Throw meat scraps, fat and skin in the garbage can, not the garbage disposal.