November and December are peak months for talking about dreaded grease clogs and sewer overflows—all of that holiday cooking wreaks havoc on your plumbing and local sewer systems. Did you know that calls to the plumber spike around the holidays? It’s true. Many plumbers even increase their rates around the holidays as well because of the large influx of calls. However, grease clogs and fatbergs are a persistent problem that don’t end with the new year. Fatbergs and sanitary sewer overflows happen throughout the year and we should be talking about them all year long to raise awareness and increase people’s education on the topics.
We understand that the topic of fatbergs is not exactly appealing, especially if you are eating a meal, but they are a rising issue that needs to be addressed at both the residential and water treatment levels.
It doesn’t matter the month, none of us want to experience a grease clog and sewer backup into our home or neighborhood. Here are three helpful tips to help keep your home running in top shape and the local environment free of sewer overflows.
Ditch Grease Clogs and Sewer Overflows for Good
- Never rinse cooking oil and grease down the sink. It can be tempting to rinse that pan of grease right down the kitchen sink—out of sight, out of mind. Not so fast. Cooking fats, oils and grease start as a liquid but solidify in your plumbing very quickly, restricting the flow of water. Even the smallest amount can cause problems for your home and the city sewer system. Eventually your pipes and the city sewer line will become so clogged that the water rushes back into your home and up through manholes in a sewer overflow.
- Be mindful of what you flush in the toilet. Sanitation departments have been using the 3Ps to get people to understand that the only items that should be flushed are “paper, pee and poo”.
- Do not rinse grease down city drains. To avoid grease clogs at home, people often think that rinsing large amounts of oil and grease down city drains is alright (it’s not). If you are planning to fry something that requires a large amount of oil, there are responsible ways to dispose of it—and it’s not down city drains. Find your local recycling center with a quick internet search. (We are currently working on a larger version of the Grease Hero to help dispose of large amounts of oil and grease.)
When you think of fats, oils and grease you most likely have an image of a pan full of a hot liquid, however FOG is sneaky and in more products that you might think. Here is a list of grease clogging culprits that should never be rinsed down the kitchen sink drain:
- Baking goods
- Butter, lard, shortening
- Cooking oil
- Fats and oil from cooked meats
- Food scraps
- Gravy
- Mayonnaise
- Salad dressings
- Sauces
- Sour cream
- Yogurt
The Grease Hero Stops Grease & Oil Clogs
The Grease Hero is a convenient and responsible way to dispose of cooking fats, oils and grease after cooking a meal. The Grease Hero is made of recycled materials and quickly absorbs the fats, oils and grease that you pour into it directly from your cooking pan. You then simply dispose of the entire drain guard into your trash. This keeps that harmful cooking oil and grease contaminants out of your plumbing, city sewers and the environment.
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Join Our Mission to save the environment and properly dispose of Fats, Oils, and Grease.
