Public Works Fats, Oils & Grease

Grease is a by-product of cooking. It comes from meat, lard, oil, shortening, butter, margarine, food scraps, baking goods, sauces and dairy products. When grease washes down the sink, it sticks to the insides of the pipes that connect your home or business to the local and regional sewer system.

Eventually the grease can build up and completely block the sewer pipe resulting in a difficult and costly maintenance problem for private property owners, the Cities and the MWMC. Blocked sewer pipes can cause raw sewage to backup into your home or business, or overflow into streets.

How can you help out at home?

DO

  • Scrape food scraps into the trash.
  • Pour grease into metal cans, let it harden and throw in the trash.
  • Stop using your garbage disposal, or try to minimize its use.
  • Wipe pots, pans and dishes with a paper towel before washing them.

DON'T

  • Pour grease down the sink or toilet.
  • 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.

 
City of Springfield, Oregon Public Works