Don't Let Grease Ruin Your Holiday

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Pinellas County Utilities wants to remind customers to properly dispose of fats, oils and grease (FOG) left over from holiday cooking. When FOG is poured down the drain it can cause clogs in household plumbing and public wastewater systems, resulting in expensive holiday call outs of plumbers for homeowners and expensive holiday call outs of utility crews for customers.

The best way to prevent these headaches year-round is to properly dispose of cooled fats, oils and grease by placing them in disposable containers and putting the containers in the trash. If customers would like to recycle their FOG, they can visit Solid Waste’s A to Z Recycling & Disposal website at www.pinellascounty.org/solidwaste/getridofit for more detailed information about disposal sites and other options.

Another tip to reduce the possibility of clogs is to scrape solid food waste left behind from cooking with fats, oils and grease into the trash. Even the smallest amount of FOG builds up over time into a big problem and can create wastewater back-ups into homes and cause sanitary sewer overflows in the community.

By taking the extra step of properly disposing of fats, oils and grease in the trash, customers can have a happier holiday while protecting their homes, their wallets and our environment.

For more information about disposing of fats, oils and grease, and protecting plumbing from clogs, visit www.pinellascounty.org/solidwaste/PDF/Grease.pdf. For more information about Pinellas County Utilities, visit www.pinellascounty.org/utilities.

This press release was produced by the Pinellas County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.