WSSC Reminds Residents to “Can the Grease” (VIDEO)

PHOTO | WSSC

Are you cooking on the grill or fryer this holiday season? If so, the folks at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) have some clean up tips for you when it comes to disposing of hot grease and cooking oil.

In order to avoid an overflowing kitchen sink or flooded basement due to clogged pipes, WSSC officials say it is important to not pour oil or grease down the drain. Here’s why:

• Fats, oils and grease (FOG) that go down the drain will eventually harden inside sewer pipes of homes and the WSSC system.
• FOG can lead to costly and messy basement back-ups and sewer overflows; they’re bad for the environment and can cost you money.
• More than 40 percent of all sewer overflows nationwide are caused by grease.

Even if you run hot water after dumping grease down the drain, the grease will eventually cool and accumulate inside the pipes. Over a period of time, the build-up of hardened grease restricts the flow of wastewater and causes blockages that may result in expensive basement backups or overflowing manholes. The wastewater that overflows can get into creeks and streams that ultimately lead to the Chesapeake Bay, posing a health and environmental hazard.

This holiday season pour cooled grease into a can (a soup can works great) and throw it in the trash.

Email WSSC at canthegrease@wsscwater.com and officials will send you a rubber lid you can use to can your grease. You can also visit www.wsscwater.com/canthegrease to see videos and find more information about keeping your pipes free from harmful blockages.

About Sonya Burke

Sonya Burke is the Multimedia Manager at Montgomery Community Media (MCM). You can email story ideas at sburke@mymcmedia.org or reach her on Twitter @SonyaNBurke.

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