Along with the holidays comes family and friends, homecooked meals and FOG. Wait, what is FOG? Cooking those delicious holiday meals can lead to an increase in fats, oils, and grease, also known as FOG.  

A common myth is that running hot water or chemicals down the drain will prevent FOG from hardening and causing blockages. The truth is fats, oils and grease will eventually cool and harden in your pipes or further down the sewer system. Out of sight and out of mind is not the right call when dealing with FOG.

FOG in pipes can cause costly blockages and sewage to back up in homes, yards, city streets, storm drains and retention areas. Gross! The good news is that this is preventable. By properly managing FOG and restricting what goes down the drain, we’re protecting our shared sewer system which benefits us all. Here are some tips on how to properly dispose of FOG:

• Pour cooking oils and grease into a small container with absorbent material such as a paper towel or coffee grounds and dispose of it in the trash.
• Scrape food from dishes into the trash (not the garbage disposal) and wipe down greasy plates, pots and pans with a paper towel before washing.
• Prevent food from entering your sewer by covering your kitchen sink drain with a strainer and limiting your use of garbage disposals.

This holiday – and all year round – do your part in keeping FOG out of our sewer pipes and avoid an unplanned visit from your plumber. Learn more about how you can keep everything flowing smoothly by watching this episode of “Water Today, Water Tomorrow” or by visiting www.glendaleaz.com/environmentalprotection.