With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the City’s Department of Utilities is reminding Sacramento residents to properly dispose of cooking fats, oils and grease.
Certain holiday dishes, including turkeys and hams, produce large amounts of fats, oils and grease that can cause pipe clogs and sewer backups if poured down the drain.
“Sewer backups can sometimes become so severe that they force people to leave their homes, which is the last thing you want to deal with during the holidays,” said Lisa Moretti, a senior engineer with the department who specializes in environmental issues, including sewer blockages.
According to Moretti, people can avoid costly clogs by following these four simple steps:
- Pour fats, oils, and grease into a disposable container.
- Scrape down any remaining residue from pots and pans.
- Seal the container and wait for the contents to cool.
- Dispose of it in the trash.
“A common misconception is that you can pour fats, oils or grease down the drain as long as you run hot water with them, but that’s not true,” said Moretti. “This only pushes the clog further down the drain and can lead to even more expensive plumbing problems.”
City staff are also reminding residents that cooked and raw food waste, such as turkey leftovers and vegetable peels, can be placed in a City organic waste bin.
