Putting fats, oils, and grease down the sink can cause a real pain in the drain! Fats, Oil, and Grease (FOG) from residential sources are the most common causes of sewer line blockages. When grease washes down the sink, it sticks to the insides of sewer pipes. The build-up restricts flow and by itself or in combination with other materials can block pipes completely, causing raw sewage to back up into your home or overflow into streets and streams, potentially jeopardizing those streets and streams.
Home garbage disposals don’t keep grease out of sewer pipes, and products that claim to dissolve grease may dislodge a blockage but will only cause problems farther down the line.
Check out these tips for what you can do at home to cut through the FOG:
- Never pour grease or put food waste down sinks or toilets. What are we talking about? Substances like bacon fat, pan drippings, cooking oils, mayonnaise, butter, and salad dressings.
- Pour cooled grease and oil into a container and put it in the trash. Or collect it in a large sturdy container, like a milk jug, and take it to the Metro transfer station to be recycled.
- Catch food scraps with baskets or strainers in sink drains and throw scraps in the green curbside compost cart or garbage.
You can find more information at portlandoregon.gov/bes/55147.
Liz Erickson has lived in the neighborhood with her husband and two children since 2009. Growing up in Beaverton, she remembers visiting grandparents on NE 42nd and walking to Rose’s Ice Cream for a scoop of butter brickle. Fun facts: she’s visited 46 states, 46 countries, is a Master Recycler volunteer with the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, and served in the Peace Corps in Morocco.