Fats, oils and grease
Fat, Oils and Grease (FOG) usually comes from a commercial kitchen where food is prepared, cooked or served. Improper disposal of FOG poses challenges to sewer systems and lead to blockages. Annually, we clear around 45,000 blockages due to build-up of fats, oil and grease or inappropriate items being flushed down the toilet.
The problem with FOG
Pouring fat, oil or grease down your sinks and drains, over time leads to fatty deposits that build up in sewers creating a large blockage, known as a fatberg.
These fatbergs prevent sewage from moving along the system to the treatment centres, creating a backlog. This causes bad smells and sewer floods causing kitchens to close and food establishments to lose revenue while the cause is investigated, and appropriate action taken.
These problems don't just impact you and your business, but your neighbours and others in your local community too.
Takeaway restaurants contribute a large portion of the grease that clogs sewer systems, but this video shows some solutions to prevent this.
Who is responsibile
Business owners are responsible for stopping FOG from entering the public sewers. It’s a criminal offence under Section 111 of the Water Industry Act 1991 to discharge into public sewers any matter which may interfere with the free flow of wastewater.
We work closely with our partner organisation Environmental Compliance and Services (ECAS), to help local businesses protect the sewer system, and educate owners and operators about how to safely dispose of fat, oil and grease. Here's how you can make sure you're following best practices.
How to prevent FOG from entering the sewer
There are some simple steps you can take to help prevent fat, oil and grease entering the sewer system and help protect you and your neighbours from sewer flooding.
Follow these essential Dos and Don'ts.
Do ...
Do not ...
How we can help you and your business
It’s important to reduce fat, oils, and grease entering the sewers to prevent blockages and costly maintenance. You can simply arrange a visit from our waste team experts, who can inform you of your options to reduce the amount of FOG. One key strategy is to invest in fat-trapping equipment, which can help keep your costs down.
The initial investment will outweigh the costs of repeat visits from plumbers to unblock drains. For further assistance, please contact our partners Environmental Compliance and Services (ECAS), on 0121 809 2100.
They can visit your business to help and advise you on installing the correct grease trap and provide training.
Additional information
Keeping your drains flowing and protecting the environment is easy! We want to give you the know-how on managing FOG (fats, oils, and grease) in your restaurant, from responsible disposal practices to maintaining your grease trap.