It’s the time of year for family and friends to come together and enjoy a delicious meal. And after all that meal planning and prepping, the last thing anyone wants is a messy, costly sewer backup—a guaranteed way to ruin the holiday cheer.
Dispose of fats, oils, and grease (FOG) 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 into the trash.
- Trash it. Put fatty and greasy food scraps in the garbage, not down the drain.
Sewer blockages and backups caused by improper disposal of FOG typically increases during the holidays. That’s why the City of Belmont is reminding residents to follow our proven recipe for a FOG-free holiday season.
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. Fats, oils, and grease disposed in kitchen sink drains cool and solidify, 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 and that used grease is disposed of properly.
Experiencing a sewer problem like a slow drain or backup? Call the Belmont Public Works Department 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even on holidays, at (650) 595-7425.
