The holiday season is upon us, and that means lots of cooking with fats, oils and grease, also known as FOG.
The Oklahoma City Utilities Department wants to remind residents to “prevent clogs by tossing your FOG.” This means tossing any fats, oils and grease into the trash, and not down the drain. If poured down the sink, FOG can clog sewer lines and cause costly repairs to the homeowner and the City. More than one-third of sewer line blockages in Oklahoma City are caused by FOG.
To help prevent clogs, pour liquid FOG into an aluminum can or other lidded container, then place it in the freezer until the FOG becomes solid. You can then toss the container into the trash. The City also recommends throwing all solid food remnants into the trash and using a paper towel to wipe out any remaining FOG from pots and pans before cleaning them in the sink or dishwasher.
“People tend to think that small amounts of oil or grease don’t matter,” said Michelle Aumiller, Pretreatment Coordinator with the Oklahoma City Utilities Wastewater Quality Division. “But they can build up over time and cause significant problems by clogging household plumbing or the City’s sewer lines. Throwing fats, oils and grease in the trash is an easy way to avoid expensive plumbing visits and help prevent blockages in the City’s wastewater system.”
Aumiller notes that while FOG is a year-round problem, the holidays offer an important opportunity to remind people to be careful. “People tend to cook larger meals and use more grease and fat in their holiday cooking,” she said.
Common fats, oils and grease include butter, shortening, margarine, meat trimmings, poultry skin, cheese, milk cream, sour cream, cooking oils, salad dressing, gravy, and mayonnaise.
For more information on how you can protect your pipes from FOG and other contaminants, visit www.okc.gov/water.
The Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust serves more than 1.4 million residents in Central Oklahoma and is committed to providing water, wastewater and trash collection services to safeguard public health and the environment, support public safety, and enable economic prosperity.
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Media Contact: Michelann Ooten, (405) 297-1066, (405) 205-1879 / michelann.ooten@okc.gov
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