Keep Fats Oils Grease Out of Your Drain

DEFEND THE DRAIN!

Fats Oil & Grease clog your drain, your neighbor's and your community too

 

By practicing these three simple actions, you can prevent grease clogs and help protect our water quality.

What is FOG

FOG stands for Fats, Oils, and Grease. These are food grade oils that you use in the kitchen and home. The term refers to the accumulation of these substances in the sanitary sewer system, which can lead to blockages and sewer overflows. 

These blockages can cause sewage to back up in homes and businesses, and even overflow into streets, posing public health and environmental hazards.  

Learn more about FOG and the danger it causes below:

FOG Sources:

FOG comes from various sources, including cooking oil, shortening, butter, margarine, lard, meat fats, food scraps, and dairy products.


Building Up in Pipes:

When FOG is poured down drains, it can solidify and stick to the inside of sewer pipes, gradually building up and causing blockages.


Sewer Overflows:

These blockages can lead to sanitary sewer overflows, where raw sewage spills into the environment.



Environmental and Health Hazards:

Sewer overflows can contaminate water sources, impact aquatic life, and pose public health risks due to exposure to untreated wastewater.


Increased Maintenance Costs:

The buildup of FOG requires costly maintenance and cleanup efforts to clear blockages and prevent sewer overflows.


What can you do? 

Now you know more about what FOG is and what it can do to your home, your neighborhood and community. Learn more about how you can become part of the solution and protect your home and community you live in. 

1. DO NOT PUT FOG DOWN THE DRAIN OR GARBAGE DISPOSAL.

When FOGS go down the drain, it hardens and causes pipes to clog. This can lead to a Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO), where raw sewage backs up into your home, lawn, neighborhood, and streets. Not only does this nasty mess cause health issues, it can also runoff into a nearby creek or stream, affecting our drinking water.

2. Compost food scraps or place them in the trash.

Compost as much of the food scraps as you can, then scrape the remaining food, oils, grease, sauces, gravy, and other items into the trash.

Avoid using the garbage disposal. The garbage disposal is not a "garbage disposer." This only increases the chance of clogging due to the mix of food scraps sticking to the grease on the inside of your pipes.

3. Recycle Used Cooking Oil.

Lake Jackson residents can bring their collected FOG in containers to the Convenience Center at 103 Canna.

An old coffee can or some other container with a lid works great to pour the grease into, then seal the container and place it in the trash.