Thanksgiving turkey leftovers are a holiday staple, however, the messy FOGs that are produced by cooking a turkey and other foods can create real problems in our sewer system.
In fact, FOG found in food scraps, cooking oil, shortening, lard, butter and margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressings, sour cream, etc. is a leading cause of sewer backups into basements. When these items are poured down kitchen drains, they build up inside sewer pipes, which eventually restricts the flow in the pipe. This buildup and flow restriction causes untreated wastewater to back up into buildings, resulting in high costs for cleanup and repairs.
If FOG build up gets bad enough, sewage can even overflow into parks, yards, streets, and storm drains, resulting in contaminated waterways. Exposure to untreated wastewater is a public-health hazard.
The following are some easy ways to keep FOG out of the public sewer system:
- Refrain from pouring grease down sink drains.
- Scrape all excess food and grease from plates and other utensils into the trash.
- Clean up oil and grease with paper towels and discard them.
- Pour the leftover grease into a sealable container and dispose of it once it’s filled.
