The Frederick County Division of Utilities and Solid Waste Management is working to get out an important message just in time for the holiday cooking season: “Do not let a sewer backup ruin your holiday by pouring fats, oils and grease down your drain.”

Frederick County wastewater staff advise residents, restaurants and service organizations to never pour kitchen grease or oils down the drain because fats, oils and grease can clog sewer pipes, leading to basement back-ups and sewer overflows that can damage a home, business and the environment. They advise that the best way to dispose of these items is to pour cooled grease into a can (such as a soup can) and dispose of it in the trash once it has solidified.

Other disposal tips include:

• Avoid pouring cooking grease and oil, butter and rendered fat down the drain.
• Avoid placing food that contains fats, oil and grease into the garbage disposal.
• Use a paper towel or napkin to absorb cooking oil or grease before washing.
• Scrape food and grease from dishes into the garbage prior to washing.

Division Director Kevin Demosky said, “Fats, oils and grease used for cooking or as a result of cooking can wreak havoc on the sanitary sewer drains and the wastewater system if not disposed of properly. Often, these clogs may develop in household plumbing and can be costly to the resident. Grease build-up in public sewer systems may cause overflows and result in untreated sewage spilling on the ground and reaching waterways. Both are of great concern from a public health and environmental point of view.”

Click below for "This Week in Frederick County... Can the Grease!" video with Commissioner Blaine Young and Mark Schweitzer (Regulatory Compliance Department Head)

For further information regarding proper disposal of grease, contact the DUSWM Department of Regulatory Compliance at 301-600-1825.

For more tips visit: http://www.mwcog.org/environment/water/cec.asp.