(EVANSVILLE, IN) – Cooking a feast is part of many Thanksgiving traditions. But when greasy foods from holiday meals are poured down the kitchen sink, it can clog the drain and result in sewer backups.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, nearly 50 percent of all reported sewer blockages are caused by greasy waste entering the sewer system. Sewers blocked with fats, oils, and grease (FOG) are costly to clean and can damage homes and sewer lines.
The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility (EWSU) urges customers not to pour FOG down the drain. FOG sources include cranberry sauce, gravy, salad dressings, cheese, mayonnaise, meat drippings, and cooking oils.
Instead, scrape leftover foods from your plate into the trash, reuse cooking oils when possible, and properly dispose of FOG following these simple steps.
- Scrape or pour cooled FOG into a disposable container, such as a tin can.
- Seal the container in an old, used plastic bag or with plastic wrap.
- Throw the container in the trash.
Click here to learn more about Fats, Oil, and Grease Prevention and to watch a video with helpful tips on FOG disposal.
If you plan to fry a turkey for Thanksgiving but do not plan to reuse the cooking oil, bring it to the Holiday Used Cooking Oil Disposal Drive at the CK Newsome Community Center on Saturday, November 26, from 8 am to 1 pm. The Drive is a free service for EWSU residential customers. Only residential FOG will be accepted, such as meat drippings, canola oil, corn oil, lard, olive oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, sunflower seed oil, and vegetable oil. Petroleum oil waste is prohibited.
