The City of San Carlos Public Works Department is offering a friendly, yet important warning about pouring fats, oils and grease down household drains while cooking this holiday season.
According to Public Works director and city engineer Jay Walter, cooking grease is washed into the plumbing system, usually through the kitchen sink. Grease sticks to the insides of sewer pipe (both on your property and in the streets). Over time, the grease can build up and block the entire pipe.
Grease gets into the sewer from household drains as well as from poorly maintained grease traps in restaurants and other businesses.
Jay says home garbage disposals do not keep the grease out of the plumbing systems.
"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," Jay cautioned.
A Public Works helpful door hanger (click on the PDF accompanying this article) lists a few ways to prevent the grease problem:
- Never pour grease down the sink drain or into toilets.
- Scrape grease and food scraps into the green waste.
For more information on F.O.G and what you can do to prevent grease problems, contact the City of San Carlos Public Works Department at 650-802-4140, or by clicking here.
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