Water Districts Warn About Dumping Oils And Grease This Thanksgiving

Sonora, CA — The Calaveras County Water District, and Tuolumne Utilities District, have some words of warning for anyone cooking on this Thanksgiving Day.

Both districts warn that dumping cooking fats, oil and/or grease down the drain can lead to clogged sewer pipes in your home. It can also create clogs in main sewer lines in the system, which can cause sewer spills.

CCWD has released a list of the following  guidelines to help avoid sewer overflows, backups, and costly repairs at your home:

-Never pour liquid grease down the drain.
-Pour all cooled cooking fats, oils and grease that will harden (bacon grease, meat drippings)
-into a waxed food container such as a milk carton or container with a lid and dispose of it in the garbage or your kitchen scrap recycling.
-Mix small amounts of liquid grease into your kitchen scrap recycling (where available) or place in a lidded container with an absorbent material such as cat litter, and dispose of in the garbage.
-Wipe down greasy pots, pans or dishes with a paper towel or newspaper before washing.
-Dispose of paper in the garbage or your kitchen scrap recycling (where available).
-Using a paper towel, scrape greasy food scraps from pots, pans, and dishes into the
garbage, not a garbage disposal.
-Do not wash grease down the drain or garbage disposal.

Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) are naturally produced during cooking and baking. Never put any of these items down the drain. Common sources of FOG include:

-Meat fats
-Lard
-Shortening
-Butter
-Margarine
-Fatty/greasy food scraps
-Baked goods and pastries
-Cream-based sauces
-Cooking oil
-Oily salad dressing