Thanksgiving turkey leftovers are a holiday staple, but the messy FOGs that are produced by cooking a turkey and other foods can create serious problems in the sewer system.

In fact, FOGs found in food scraps, cooking oil, shortening, lard, butter, margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressings, sour cream, peanut butter, etc. is a leading cause of sewer backups into basements. When these items are poured down kitchen drains, they build up inside sewer pipes and eventually restrict wastewater flow in the pipes. These blockages cause untreated wastewater to back up into buildings, resulting in high costs for cleanup and repairs. If FOGs buildup gets bad enough, sewage can even overflow into parks, yards, streets, and storm drains, contaminating waterways and exposing the public to health hazards. 

Help keep FOGs out of the public sewer system:

• Never pour FOGs down sink drains or in-sink garbage disposals.
• Scrape food scraps from dishes and utensils into the trash or compost as appropriate.
• Wipe up FOGs on dishes and utensils with paper towels and discard them in the trash.
• Pour cooled grease into a sealable container and dispose of it once it is filled.

Learn more at pgh2o.com/defend-your-drains.