Fats, Oils, and Greases aren't just bad for your arteries; they're bad for sewers too. Sewer overflows and backups can cause health hazards, damage home interiors, and threaten the environment. An increasingly common cause of overflows is sewer pipes blocked by grease. Grease gets into the sewer from household drains as well as from poorly maintained grease traps in restaurants and other businesses.

Too often grease is washed into the plumbing system, usually through the kitchen sink. Grease sticks to the insides of sewer pipes (both on your property and in the streets). Over time the grease can build up and block the entire pipe. Home garbage disposals do not keep grease out of the plumbing system. These units only shred solid material into smaller pieces and do not prevent grease from going down the drain. Commercial additives, including detergents, that claim to dissolve grease may pass grease down the line and cause problems in other areas. The results can be a sanitary sewer back up in your home.

The easiest way to solve the grease problem and help prevent overflows of raw sewage is to keep this material out of the sewer system in the first place. There are several ways to do this. Never pour grease down sink drains or into toilets. Scrape grease and food scraps from trays, plates, pots, pans, utensils, and grills and cooking surfaces into a can or the trash for disposal. Do not put grease down garbage disposals. Put baskets/strainers in sink drains to catch food scraps and other solids, and empty the drain baskets/strainers into the trash for disposal. 

Restaurants, large buildings (such as apartment complexes), and other commercial establishments may have grease traps or interceptors that keep grease out of the sewer system. For a grease trap or interceptor to work correctly, it must be properly designed (sized and manufactured to handle the amount that is expected), installed (level, vented, etc.), and maintained (cleaned and serviced on a frequent basis). Solids should never be put into grease traps or interceptors. Routine, often daily, maintenance of grease traps and interceptors is needed to ensure that they properly reduce or prevent blockages. Be cautious of chemicals and additives (including soaps and detergents) that claim to dissolve grease. Some of these additives simply pass grease down pipes where it can clog the sewer lines in another area.

View Ordinance

     Residential Info

Fat Free Sewers Brochure

Fats, Oil and Grease Info from New Castle Delaware

A Fact Sheet for the Proper Disposal of Fats, Oil & Grease (New Castle, DE) 

     Restaurant/Commercial Info

Grease Trap Maintenance Flow Chart

Grease Trap Maintenance Quarterly Report Form

Fats, Oil, and Grease Best Management Practices Manual - Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies