Fats Ruin Holiday Season For Sewers: Hillsborough County

TAMPA, FL – The holiday season brings friends and family around the table for seasonal feasts featuring decadent foods that delight most everyone.

And while many people know not to flush pure fats, oils and grease (FOG) down the drain after holiday gatherings, Hillsborough County is getting the word out that many holiday favorite foods could cause damage to its sewer system, private septic tanks and plumbing that heads to both.

According to Hillsborough County, these fatty foods and pure lipids poured down the drain intentionally or unintentionally can cause major pipe buildup, sewage backups and sanitary overflows. It can also cause serious sewage issues and major repairs – and headaches – for homeowners.

Hillsborough County said enough FOG poured down the drain can cause an entire shutdown of wastewater treatment plants. And while FOGs and foods seem fine to pour down the drain as a liquid, it’s when the lipids cool and congeal, causing the major blockages in septic tanks, interior pipes and sewer systems.

Here are five ways Hillsborough County offers to fight holiday FOG:

• Keep your drain fat-free: Pour cooled fats, oils and grease into a container with a lid on it, or a free Cooking Oil Recycling Effort container.
• It’s not just FOG: In addition to fats, oils and grease, meat fats, lard, shortening, dairy products, batters, butter, margarine, food scraps, dressing, icing and especially gravy can cause clogs.
• When in doubt, throw it out: Dispose of foods containing FOG in the trash. Even with a garbage disposal, leftover FOG from cooked foods can build up in residential pipes.
• Scrape your plate: Scrape all food scraps from plates, pots, pans and fryers into the trash before washing dishes. Use a simple strainer in the sink to catch unwanted food scraps. Prior to washing plates and cooking utensils, use a paper towel to absorb excess FOG and dispose in the trash.
• Recycle FOG: The Hillsborough County Public Utilities CORE program collects cooking oil and recycles it into biodiesel. CORE containers are free to pick up and drop off at the locations located at www.hcflgov.net/core.

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