Residents
You May Be Doing It Wrong!
Some major misconceptions can lead to big clogs in your sewer pipes.
“Hot water dissolves grease!”
Not true! Using hot water and soap to “dissolve” oil and grease and wash it down the drain will not work. Grease will still stick to pipes after it cools.
“My in-sink disposal takes care of grease!”
Wrong again! A garbage disposal won’t make fatty and greasy food scraps disappear. Once they’ve passed the disposal, they can still clog the pipe.
“I’ve never had a clog, so there’s no problem!”
Wishful thinking! Just because fats, oils, and grease make it down the drain doesn’t mean they aren’t building up in your pipes and sewer lines. Over time, they can cause a nasty clog and sewer backup or overflow!
How FOG Clogs Pipes
Just as fat accumulates and causes blockages in human arteries, oil and grease solidifies and accumulates in household pipes, restricting the flow of wastewater and causing sewer backups and overflows.
How it starts: Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) separates from other liquids as it goes down your drain. The FOG cools and sticks to household pipes and sewer pipes.
A matter of time: Over time, pipes become clogged and sewage flow becomes restricted.
Nowhere to go but back: The clogged pipe eventually backs up and floods your home with wastewater. Or it causes it to overflow onto the street.
FOG Frequently Asked Questions
Are fats, oils, and grease (FOG) a real problem?
Yes! FOG is responsible for more than half of SacSewer’s sewer problems. When poured down the drain, FOG clogs the sewer system and causes backups or overflows. The result:
- Property damage
- Increased customer rates
- Health and environmental hazards
- Increased maintenance for cleaning messes and replacing sewer pipes
How does FOG create a sewer blockage?
When poured down the drain, FOG cools, solidifies, and floats to the top of other liquids in sewer pipes. The FOG layer sticks to the sewer pipes and, over time, restricts wastewater flow. It can then cause a sewer backup or overflow.
Cooking Oil Recycling
Check out these facilities for disposal of used cooking oil.
Region: Sacramento
City of Sacramento Curbside Pickup (city
residents only)
Website
Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station HHW
Facility
Website |
Map
8491 Fruitridge Road, Sacramento
(916) 379-0500
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Region: Folsom
Call (916) 355-8397 or visit folsomhazmat.com to schedule a pick-up.
Region: Elk Grove
City of Elk Grove Special Waste Collection Center
(SWCC)
Website |
Map
9255 Disposal Lane, Elk Grove
(916) 627-3232
Hours: Sunday–Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Region: West Sacramento
West Sacramento Curbside Pickup
Website
Request used oil containers, filter bags, and curbside
pickup.
(916) 844-1508
Region: Unincorporated Sacramento County
Curbside Collection: Available for county residents on their regularly scheduled garbage/recycling day. For packaging requirements and more information, please visit Sacramento County’s Waste Management and Recycling website or call (916) 875-5555.
North Area Recovery Station HHW Facility
Website
|
Map
(916) 875-5555
4450 Roseville Road, North Highlands
Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4
p.m.