Grease - It's Bad for Your Arteries and Bad for the Sewers!

We are experiencing a "Green Renaissance" within our world - from opening our conscientiousness of water waste to our air quality. So, let's talk about another "green" thing we can do. Let's talk about "grease". No, I'm not speaking of the movie "Grease" with John Travolta, even if it was one of my all time favorite movies. I'm talking about that yucky stuff that is left over after you cook.

Too many times, grease is just washed into our plumbing without any regards to our sewer systems. Many people just let it go down the drain of the kitchen sink. Over time, the grease can build up and block the entire pipe. Next thing you know is we are pouring a harsh chemical like Drano down the pipes to unclog it. Why not just eliminated this part of your cleanup altogether by not pouring the grease down into the pipes in the first place?

You see, these commercial additives like Drano, can cause other problems in other areas. The results can be raw sewage overflowing in your home and even your neighbor's home. It can also overflow into the streets, parks, and yards potentially introducing disease-causing organisms. If it is found on your own property, it can cost you personally to clean it up. If it is outside your property, you eventually will pay for it, through taxes. An increase in operation and maintenance costs for the local sewer department will be past down to you.

What Can You Do to Help?

There are several ways you can prevent grease build up.

- Never pour grease down the sink drains or into toilets

- Scrape the grease from your plates into your trash and not down your garbage disposal.

- If you have been frying and have a lot of grease leftover, find an empty bottle and pour the grease into it. Wipe it clean with a paper towel to get as much grease out of it as possible. If you have a strong garbage bag that is fairly full of something that can absorb grease, pour it in your garbage bag.

- Make sure you are using your basket strainer in your sink to catch food scraps and other solids. Then dispose of it into your garbage.

- Call your local sewer system authority if you have any questions on how to keep grease out of your sewer systems. Spread the word to your neighbors.

Now, you may think this is common sense. However, many times laziness rules over common sense - especially if you are renting versus the home being your own. We all need to care and have conscientiousness about what we do every day regarding our own carbon footprint. It all starts on an individual level and ends in a collective solution.

Source: Water Environment Federation