Facing a kitchen full of dirty pots, pans, and dishes is likely everyone’s least favorite part of preparing a meal. As tempting as it is to dispose of that bacon fat, cooking oil, or leftover food scraps down the sink, this habit of convenience leads to problems in the pipes inside your home and our sewer system. Fats, oils, and grease (also known as FOGs) are found in food scraps, meat fats, lard, cooking oil, butter, margarine, shortening, dressings, sauces, and dairy products.
Wastewater from your home is just beginning its journey through our sewer system, carrying everything you send down the drain with it. FOGs stick to the inside of sewer pipes, building up over time in your home’s plumbing and the public sewer system. This build up decreases pipe capacity and therefore requires that piping systems be cleaned more often and/or some piping to be replaced sooner than otherwise expected.
When we have to invest in new technologies to deal with FOGs or send operators to clear out blockages, the cost is passed down to users. To help us keep FOG costs down, see the pamphlet below.
