Don’t want a sewer backup over the holidays? Fats, oils, grease and wax (FOG) can clog your pipes. Put FOG where it belongs - in the trash.
Just in time for the holiday cooking season, Salisbury-Rowan Utilities has a few tips for discarding leftover fats, oils, grease and wax, also known as FOG.
When warm fat, oil, grease and wax are poured down the sink or flushed down the toilet they may not travel very far through your pipes before they begin to form large, gross accumulations with other debris and chemicals and stick to the walls of your pipes.These FOG deposits could cause future sewer backups in your home, condominium, restaurant, or other buildings.
When FOG goes down the drain, it hardens and causes sewer pipes to clog. This can lead to a sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) where raw sewage actually backs up into your home, lawn, neighborhood, and streets. Not only does this mess cause health issues, it also can run into a nearby stream or river, which affects our drinking water. If your pipes become clogged from putting FOG down the drain, it can be a very expensive problem to fix.
To avoid household and environmental damage as well as a costly bill, NEVER put FOG down the drain!
Here are tips from SRU mascot Greasy:
- Can your grease and throw it in the trash
- Scrape food scraps in the trash
- Don’t flush your FOG. Toilet pipes can get clogged too!