It is not recommended to pour any kind of cooking grease down the sink. Grease that is poured down the drain cools, then tends to solidify and stick to the walls of the pipe. This allows for more debris and food scraps to get lodged. Unfortunately, sometimes a plumber is required to unclog drains and pipes when this occurs which can be a pricy endeavor.
Instead, place the grease in any kind of glass jar, store it under the sink, and then throw it away when full to protect and preserve kitchen drains and household pipes.
Another option for grease disposal is to call a grease recycling or grease hauling company. Grease recycling companies will collect household, restaurant and company grease waste to a recycling plant. From here, grease is transformed into fuel, soaps, candles and even as an ingredient in animal feed. To learn more about your local options in the Central Texas area, click here.
Fats, oils and greases (FOGs) are stubborn compounds in water with a tendency to not dissolve. Upon arrival at a wastewater treatment plant, they are one of the most difficult substances to separate out of wastewater. These pollutants cannot always be filtered, and the release of poorly treated and polluted water can even be sent out into local waterways, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Click here to find a recycling center near you, and return to Water School to learn more about water!