Water Environment Services

Fats, oils and grease (FOG) are found in common foods and food ingredients such as meat, fish, butter, cooking oil, mayonnaise, milk, gravies, sauces and food scraps. If poured down the sink drain or into your garbage disposal, FOG could build up over time by sticking to the sides of sewer pipes. This could eventually cause an expensive sewer backup into your home or the public wastewater system. The results of a grease-blocked sewer pipe can be:

• Sewage overflows in your home or your neighbor's home causing expensive and unpleasant cleanup that often must be paid for by the property owner.
• Sewage overflows to streets or landscaping that can get into streams and rivers causing possible contact with disease-causing organisms.
• An increase in operation and maintenance costs for the public sewer system and the treatment facilities, which could lead to higher sewer rates for customers.

By following a few simple steps, you can help prevent sewer backups by:

• Pouring cooled fats, oils and grease into a covered, disposable container and tossing it into your garbage instead of down sink drains.
• Soaking up remaining FOG with paper towels and placing in the trash.
• Scraping food scraps into your compost or trash before washing dishes.
• Using sink strainers to catch any remaining food waste while washing dishes.