For Your Home
Grease from cooking, gravy, cooking oil, and sauces may look harmless as a liquid, but when it cools it gets thick and sticky. That means if you pour grease down your drain, it sticks to pipes and eventually causes clogs and messy sewer overflows.
How to dispose of grease
Step 1:
Scrape or pour grease into can
Step 2:
Freeze the can
Step 3:
Toss into trash
DO
- Scrape food scraps into the trash or compost bin.
- Catch food scraps and other solids with a strainer in the sink drain, and empty the strainer into the trash bin.
- Wipe pots, pans and dishes with dry paper towels before rinsing or washing them, then throw paper towels in the garbage.
- Pour hot grease into an empty can, cover with a “Freeze the Grease” lid and once cooled, throw in the trash.
DON’T
- Don't pour grease down sink drains.
- Don't use cloth towels or rags to scrape oil or grease off plates and utensils because grease will drain to the sewer when you wash the towels.
- Don't run water over dishes, pans, fryers or griddles to wash oil and grease down the drain.
For Your Business
What is the big deal about FOG?
If fats, oils, and grease drain into the water system, they can cause slow-draining or clogged pipes and even sewer backups, resulting in costly damage to private property.
Failure to maintain a grease interceptor/trap can cause foul odors and result in fines from the City. Save money by following simple best management practices that can reduce costs and protect Albany's water system.
Common FOG sources:
- Fried foods
- Baked goods
- Cooked meats
- Butter and other dairy products
- Gravy and sauces
- Mayonnaise and salad dressings
- Food scraps
But what is an FSE?
Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code (OPSC) defines a Food Service Establishment (FSE) as a facility that engages in activities of preparing or serving food or beverage for consumption either on or off the premises, including, but not limited to, restaurants, cafes, commercial kitchens, caterers, hotels/motels, prisons, correctional facilities, nursing homes, care institutions.
These establishments are responsible for installing and maintaining grease interceptors/traps. The cities of Albany and Millersburg currently have more than 30 FSEs.
Interceptor Requirements
A grease interceptor captures wastewater discharge from a Food Service Establishment (FSE). Water flows from the sink, dishwasher, and drains to a tank. As the water cools, the FOG separates and floats on the top or settles to the bottom. The water in the middle drains to the wastewater system, leaving behind the FOG to be disposed of in the trash.
Per Albany Municipal Code, 10.06.080:
“the owner of any facility with a grease interceptor installation shall maintain the grease interceptor at all times in a manner that shall prevent fat waste, oil, or grease from being carried into the sanitary sewer system.”
Your business can coordinate with a preferred pumper to keep your interceptor functioning properly and maintain accurate records of removals.
The size of your interceptor and your food production will determine the cleaning or pump-out interval. The Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code sets the minimum size for a grease interceptor installation; however, grease production in food service establishments varies according to the menu.
You can prevent odors and sanitary sewer back-ups from clogs caused by fats, oils, and grease by considering FOG production when determining your cleaning schedule. A pumper can help you with establishing a cleaning schedule. An interceptor should be cleaned out at least every three months to prevent buildup and keep fats from decaying and causing a foul odor.
The interceptor must be installed outside the building to facilitate cleaning and inspections. Authorized City employees shall be allowed access to the interceptors for inspection and/or to verify compliance. FOG shall never be allowed to enter the stormwater system either directly or from overflow. FOG must be removed from the facility and disposed of properly.
Do you own a new business?
If you are remodeling, converting a facility, or constructing a new food business, you are required to install a grease interceptor/trap in accordance with Albany Municipal Code 10.06.080(3). Grease interceptors shall be sized, designed, constructed, and installed in accordance with the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) standards, and any other requirements set by the Director through the City plan review and permit process. Grease interceptors shall be located outside the building in order to facilitate cleaning, inspection, and maintenance. Installation of smaller grease traps or grease interceptors inside any building is allowed only when exterior installation is not effective or practicable, and shall be approved on a case-by-case basis. Authorized City employees shall be allowed access to the interceptors for inspection and/or to verify compliance.
Please contact the Building Division for more details.
Best Management Practices (BMP)
Best management practices are activities that manage and control the disposal of FOG. There are some simple steps you can take to reduce the amount of FOG entering the water system.
- Regularly maintain your grease interceptor/trap
- Collect used cooking oil
- Scrape plates and bowls into the trash or compost
- Wipe pots and pans with a paper towel before washing
- Have sink strainers or covers on all drains
- Do not sweep spills into the drains
- Do not dump anything into the storm drains
- Use water temperatures less than 140° F
Cleaning a grease interceptor
Click the video below to learn how to clean a grease trap:
Is your FSE looking for a Preferred Pumper?
FSEs are required to have a grease interceptor and be on an effective maintenance schedule. A Preferred Pumper may be the right answer for you. Preferred Pumpers works with the City to establish a standard of cleaning and reporting procedures for grease interceptors. The developed criteria promote effective maintenance, extend equipment life, prevent building sewer backups, and ensure compliance with local sewer use ordinances.
