Happy holidays begin with proper disposal of cooking oils, fats and greases

King County's Wastewater Treatment Division wants to curtail a growing Thanksgiving tradition - backed up sewers and clogged pipes caused by fats, oils and grease.

"On Thanksgiving, and during the holidays, people do a lot of cooking," said Wastewater Treatment Division Assistant Director Lorraine Patterson. "Food waste is the most common cause of fats and grease in the sewer system, and it can create a lot of problems."

When residents put meat fats, cooking oil, butter and margarine, baked goods and dairy products down drains or garbage disposals, grease can build up and eventually block sewer pipes, causing overflows into homes or neighborhoods.

In May, a grease blockage in King County's Issaquah Interceptor caused a sewage overflow into Lake Sammamish, temporarily closing a local beach. (Read press release)

Fats and grease can also clog residential pipes and drains, forcing the homeowner to spend time and money on unpleasant, expensive clean up and repairs.

King County encourages people to protect their plumbing and the sewer system by properly disposing of fats:

• Scrape grease and food waste from plates, pots, pans, grills and kitchen utensils and put it into a trash can.
• Put baskets and strainers in sinks to catch food scraps.
• Don't put grease or meats in garbage disposals.
• Never pour oil or grease into a drain or toilet.
• Let grease solidify in a container before putting it into the trash.
• Mix larger amounts of cooking oil with an absorbent material like sawdust or kitty litter before putting in the garbage. Dispose of large amounts by dividing it over several collection days

More information about fats, oils and grease is available on the Web at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wtd/community/fog.htm or by calling 206-684-1280 or 711 TTY.

People enjoy clean water and a healthy environment because of King County's wastewater treatment program. The county's Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and water quality by serving 17 cities, 17 local sewer utilities and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Formerly called Metro, the regional clean-water agency now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for more than 40 years.

Note to editors and reporters: Visit the WTD Newsroom, a portal to information for the news media about the Wastewater Treatment Division, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.