The right way to dispose of bacon grease (and more)

If there’s a breakfast equivalent to a lump of coal, it’s holiday FOG — a combination of fats, oils, and grease (think: bacon residue and butter) that can clog your drain and hurt local waterways. Not so merry.

According to Reedy River Water Quality Group experts, pouring cooking fats, oils, and grease down the drain can not only cause sanitary sewer overflows but can also result in costly repair bills for homeowners.

Why? These slimy substances combine with other “unflushables” (items that don’t dissolve like toilet paper, wipes, and feminine products) in pipes, often resulting in clogs and plumbing issues. Once these clogs accumulate, backups occur that send untreated sewage into nearby waterways like the Reedy River.

The good news: It’s easy to help prevent this. Avoid rinsing fats, oils, and grease down the sink, and properly dispose of them instead.

Here’s how:

1. Pour any fats, oil, and grease into a container, like an open soup can or mayo jar, and allow them to cool and harden.
2. Put your filled container into the freezer to help it cool even faster.
3. When cooled, simply toss the container in the trash.

Pro tip: Scrape food scraps from dishes and utensils into the trash, and wipe pots + pans with a dry paper towel to soak up residue before rinsing or washing them.