Many people do not know the wide impact of incorrect disposal of certain kitchen waste. The disposal of large amounts of oil or fat grease, also known as FOG straight down drain can cause many issues, starting in your kitchen. This article will help you understand the problems that can occur and how they can be avoided.
Your kitchen
You can cause yourself a lot of problems in your home by pouring fatty oil or greasy products straight into your sink. These types of products do not mix with water and other liquids as their components do not dissolve. As they cool they will solidify. Then they start to stick to the sides of the pipes, slowly building up over time. Other solid objects can also be caught in the FOG such as coffee granules or small food particles. This will not only add to the buildup and potential blockages, but it can start to rot in your pipes and cause bad odors. Odors can then be noticeable in the kitchen or near drains in your garden. This can end up costing the householder a lot of money having to get a plumber to fix the problem.
I will give you an example of the types of offenders you are looking at, I imagine that many people may not think about the type of food they are cooking and the waste product that is created. If you cook meat in a tin and leave excess fat that is stuck to the metal. Or fry an egg and put the extra oil in your pan. You can even drop a piece of butter on the floor and then wash it in your sink.
Commercial
Businesses in the catering industry, such as cafes, restaurants and pubs have a legal responsibility to deal responsibly with fat oil or grease waste. The volumes of FOG that are washed down the drain in establishments such as cafes, restaurants and hotels are obviously much greater than at home. Large amounts of waste are thrown away every day in certain establishments. They are therefore much more likely to cause major problems in treatment plants due to volumes. Therefore companies will need to install a FOGtrap or interceptor that is fixed in the establishment and captures all the fat, oil and grease in a container, which is hygienically sealed. Most of these disposal companies will also provide a maintenance plan, where they will remove the interceptor unit and keep the area clean. Then they will take the waste with them. Waste can be disposed of responsibly and can even be recycled or used as a renewable energy source.
Drainage
If you don’t have problems at home or at work, there may still be problems further down the line. Buildup can occur in drain pipes. This is a big problem for water companies. It is very expensive to deal with blockages and this in turn can have an impact on homes and businesses with water rates increasing in price. If the building is done too much, it can overwhelm the treatment facilities and raw sewage can overflow and escape into waterways, causing pollution.
What can you do to avoid problems?
- Obviously the first step to help with this problem is to put as much of this waste in the bin rather than trying to wash it in the sink.
- Another tip is to wipe off the excess where possible with a kitchen towel and then throw it in the trash, which is better than flushing it down a sink.
- Use a plug hole strainer to stop large particles going down the sink.
- Collect the used oil in a container, then you can take it for recycling at your local recycling facility.
- Get a FOGtrap or Grease trap installed.
Article written by www.fogtrap.com. Visit our website for more information.
