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What to do with fats, oils, and grease

greasy-panThe holidays are upon us—that means cooking, baking, and big holiday meals.

It can also mean clogged sewer lines and sewage overflows. Fats, oils, and grease (F.O.G.) resulting from food preparation can build up in sewer pipes. Over time this buildup can cause blockages and backups. (Want an extreme example of a blockage? Check out the “The London Fatberg.” Gross, right?)

Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to prevent your pipes from getting clogged with F.O.G.:

  1. Cool it, can it, trash it
    Pour cooled fats, oils, and grease into a disposable container. Cover the container with a lid and put it in the freezer. Once the contents are hardened, toss the container into the garbage.
  2. Wipe up the rest
    Use a paper towel to absorb remaining fats, oils, and grease from pots and pans, then dispose of the paper towel in your food and yard waste bin.
  3. Scrape before you rinse
    Scrape or wipe food scraps off of dishes before rinsing them in the sink or putting them in the dishwasher. Food scraps can go into your food and yard waste bin.

Used Cooking Oil Collection
Have more oil than you can fit in your freezer? (We’re looking at you deep fried turkey chefs!) SPU now picks up used cooking oil. Just follow these steps:

  1. Pour cooled used cooking oil into one-gallon plastic jugs (Ex: milk cartons)
  2. Label jugs with your name and address
  3. Set out up to 2 gallons next to your recycling cart on collection day.