Dispose of fats, oils, and grease (FOG) properly to protect our shared sewer system and your home

Are you cooking more at home over the holidays? Take care of your plumbing and our shared sewer system.

Fats, oils and grease (FOG) are found in everyday foods and 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 can build up over time by sticking to the sides of sewer pipes. This can eventually cause an expensive sewer backup into your home or the public wastewater system. 

The results of a grease-blocked sewer pipe can be:

• Clogged drains or toilets 
• Raw sewage backing up into your home 
• Raw sewage overflowing into the environment 
• Expensive cleanup, repair & replacement of damaged property 
• Higher wastewater system operation & maintenance costs
• Unpleasant odors 
• Potential public health risks

Steps you can take to help prevent sewer backups:

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