Grease Control Information

What is FOG?

FOG stands for "Fats, Oils and Grease" and is found in your kitchen or garage. Most FOG comes from the grease and oils we use when cooking at home or at restaurants. But FOG can also come from oils and lubricants machines discharged into floor drains.

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Ways you can help

The easiest way to solve the problem of fats, oil and grease buildup and help prevent sewerage overflows is to keep FOG out of the City sewer system.

Here are a few tips:

• Never pour grease down sink drains or into toilets.
• Scrape grease and food scraps from trays, plates, pots, pans, utensils, and grills and cooking surfaces into a can or the trash for disposal.
• Pour fats, oils and grease into a container such as an empty jar or coffee can. Once the materials have cooled and solidified and the container is full, secure the lid and throw it in the trash.
• Don't put grease down garbage disposals. Put baskets/strainers in sink drains to catch food scraps and other solids, and empty the drain baskets/strainers into the trash for disposal.
• Communicate with your friends and neighbors about the problem of grease in your sewer system and how to keep it out. The solution starts right in your home with your actions.

What kind of problems can occur from a grease blockage in my neighborhood line?

FOG gets into your sewer system from household drains, as well as from poorly maintained grease traps in restaurants and other businesses. Sanitary sewer lines blocked by FOG can cause major problems such as:

• Raw, septic sewage backing up into your home or your neighbor's home.
• Expensive and unpleasant cleanup that you must pay for.
• Raw sewage overflowing into neighborhood parks, yards and streets.
• Potential contact with disease-causing microorganisms from the sewage overflow.
• An increase in operation and maintenance costs for the JCSA, which could cause higher sewer bills for you.
• What about using my garbage disposal or use detergent to wash it down the drain? Home garbage disposals do not keep grease out of your sewer system, nor will it prevent grease from building up. Products such as detergents that claim to dissolve grease may pass the grease down the pipeline and cause problems elsewhere.