This holiday season, help Stop the Clog by properly disposing of used cooking oil and food scraps
Sacramento, Calif.—While holiday gatherings and cooking plans might be more modest this Thanksgiving, it’s important to remain vigilant in the kitchen to prevent messy, costly sewer backups. Sewer blockages caused by improper disposal of fats, oils and grease (FOG) tend to increase this time of year and are a guaranteed way to ruin your holiday cheer.
That’s why the Sacramento Area Sewer District (SacSewer) is reminding area residents to follow our proven recipe for a FOG-free holiday season.
Dispose of fats, oils and grease properly with three easy steps:
- Can it. Once cooled, pour leftover oils and grease into a sturdy container, like a jar or coffee can.
- Scrape it. Before washing pots and pans, scrape out fats, oils and grease.
- Trash it. Put fatty and greasy food scraps in the garbage, not down the drain.
When FOG-containing items from holiday cooking—like food scraps, gravies and oils—go down kitchen sink drains and garbage disposals, they can cause blockages in sewer pipes that lead to overflows. FOG cools and solidifies, sticking to the sewer pipes. Over time, FOG restricts sewage flow and can cause a sewer backup into customers’ homes and businesses. Sewer overflows are messy, costly and bad for the environment.
For large amounts of cooking oil—like what’s needed for deep fried turkeys—pour the cooled liquid oil back into gallon jugs and make sure the lid is screwed on or taped shut. If your local waste service provider allows curbside pick-up of cooking oil, place your oil at the curb on your pick-up day according to the guidelines. If not, visit SacSewer.com/oil for a listing of local FOG recycling sites.
For more tips on proper FOG disposal, visit sacsewer.com/holidayFOG. Experiencing a sewer problem—like a slow drain or backup? Call SacSewer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—even on holidays—at (916) 875-6730. To learn more, visit sacsewer.com.
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The Sacramento Area Sewer District (SacSewer) is California’s third largest sewage collection utility and provides service to about 1.2 million people in the Sacramento region. SacSewer owns and operates 4,600 miles of sewer pipes and more than 100 pump stations. We are responsible for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the sewer system. Learn more at sacsewer.com.
CONTACT:
Paige Bedegrew, Senior Public Information Officer
bedegrewp@sacsewer.com
(916) 875-1442 office | (916) 204-5864 cell
