Neighborhood Sewer Problems from Leftover Fats, Oils and Grease
Most people at home don’t produce very much used cooking fats, oils or grease. But we’ve found that even a little grease from the many homes in the City add up to clogged sewers in neighborhoods like yours.
Even if you haven’t needed the plumber to clear your drain, the SFPUC spends millions of dollars each year to unclog the City’s sewer pipes.
Clogged sewers result in unsanitary back-ups, overflows onto streets, foul-smelling odors, and costly damage to sewer infrastructure. So as residents, we are all affected. Fortunately, we can all do something about it.
Plus, we also have chance to produce something useful from our waste, while we’re solving the sewer problem. Your used cooking oil will be recycled to make biodiesel and help power the City fleet on a cleaner-burning renewable fuel.
Prevention is Easy
- Don’t pour or rinse down any fats, oils or grease in your sink.
- Wipe pans with small amounts of leftover cooking oil with a paper towel and throw in the trash or green cart.
- Save larger amounts of leftover fats, oils and grease in a leak-proof container, secured with a tight lid, and when full, bring it to the Household Waste Drop-off Center or to one of our neighborhood SFGreasecycle collection events.
- (OR, you can save all the used oil in a compostable (i.e., paper) container, like a milk carton or ice cream tub and freeze it until it’s time to put in your green bin for collection.)
- Make sure you visit our website regularly for collection event details or for new drop-off centers as they open.
