Review of Food Sector Grease Interceptor Bylaw

Fats, oil​​​s, and grease are bad for pipes and sewers

When fats, oils, and grease are flushed down sinks and drains, they harden and lead to serious blockages. This can cause significant and costly damage to plumbing systems and the region’s sewer system. For restaurants and homeowners, this can mean costly sewage backups, plumbing repairs, extensive renovations, and restaurant closures. 

The build-up of fats, oils, and grease in sewers contributes to sewage overflows, damaging surrounding homes and businesses, and harming the environment. Metro Vancouver spends at least $2.7 million every year to repair damage caused by grease in the sewer system — money that could be spent on vital improvements to the region’s sewers to better protect the environment and increase resiliency to climate change.

Residents and food sector businesses can help

The main source of fats, oils, and grease entering the sewer system comes from food sector establishments and residential homes. Metro Vancouver and its member jurisdictions have observed that the majority of grease issues occur within commercial districts that have a high concentration of restaurants — with 79 per cent of these issues occurring in commercial areas, 16 per cent in residential areas, and five per cent in mixed use areas.

Metro Vancouver informs residents about the harmful effects of grease and their role in disposing of it in their green bin through public education campaigns.

To manage fats, oils, and grease coming from food sector businesses, Metro Vancouver adopted the Food Sector Grease Interceptor Bylaw (No. 268) in 2012. Grease interceptors separate fats, oils, and grease from wastewater and help prevent them from entering the sewer system. The bylaw outlines sizing and maintenance requirements for grease interceptors, as well as what fixtures must be attached to the grease interceptor. Properly sized and maintained grease interceptors protect the region’s sewer system—and by doing that, they protect the environment and neighbouring homes and businesses from sewer overflows. All food sector establishments are required by law to have a properly sized and maintained grease interceptor.

Food Sector Grease Interceptor Bylaw review

In 2018, Metro Vancouver initiated a review of the bylaw to ensure it was up to date, provide more clarity about bylaw requirements, and better reflect current food industry operations. As part of this review, Metro Vancouver engaged with stakeholders such as food industry representatives, plumbers, member municipalities, and grease interceptor manufacturers and maintenance providers about how changes to the bylaw, fees, and other requirements might affect them. 

Based on this feedback — and with the support of these stakeholders — several proposed changes to the bylaw were developed. In part, the proposed changes would remove certain restrictions and requirements to give the food industry more flexibility to comply with the bylaw and conduct business, while still protecting the sewer system and the environment.

As the bylaw review was nearing completion in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, creating challenging conditions for the food and hospitality industry. For this reason, Metro Vancouver put the bylaw update on hold, allowing the food sector to focus on day-to-day business during this difficult time.

With COVID-19 restrictions lifted and the food sector beginning to rebound, Metro Vancouver is ready to resume the bylaw review and update.

Food Sector Grease Interceptor Bylaw engagement

Extensive engagement was conducted on the bylaw review between 2018 and 2019.

The Food Sector Grease Interceptor Bylaw Phase 1 and 2 Engagement Summary outlines key themes and feedback received during the 2018/2019 engagement.

A final round of engagement with current members of industry was held between February 17 and March 10, 2023 through an online survey. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their valuable input on the proposed bylaw changes. All feedback will be considered and used to inform the overall review and update of the Food Sector Grease Interceptor Bylaw.

Final policy changes will be brought before Metro Vancouver’s Board in late 2023 for consideration and approval before any changes are made.

Proposed Food Sector Grease Interceptor Bylaw amendments

The following proposed policy changes were developed, discussed, and generally agreed upon during engagement meetings with stakeholders in 2019.

Update definitions of food sector establishments

We propose to update the bylaw to include markets and commissary kitchens (a commercial kitchen rented by local food service operators, such as caterers and bakers). These are not explicitly listed in the current bylaw and changes would ensure that these emerging sectors are regulated alongside traditional restaurants.​

Update which fixtures must and must not be connected to a grease interceptor

We propose to add the following fixtures to the “must be connected to a grease interceptor” section of the bylaw:

• Funnel/hub drains — a type of drain that services grease-bearing fixtures, and therefore needs be connected to a grease interceptor
• Dishwashers (for new builds and converted spaces only) — dishwashers are grease-bearing fixtures and need to be connected to grease interceptors. However, to help reduce the burden of extensive retrofits on existing food sector businesses, this requirement would only apply to new builds and spaces newly converted to support food service
  

We propose to remove​ the following fixtures from the “must be connected to a grease interceptor” section of the bylaw:

• Floor drains and mop sinks — in response to feedback from industry representatives, this requirement is being removed from the bylaw, as floor drains and mop sinks generally pose a lower risk to sewer blockages. Removing this requirement helps reduce the burden of extensive retrofits on food sector businesses since sub-floor construction may require additional structural and seismic considerations

We propose to remove the following fixtures from the “must not be connected to a grease interceptor” section of the bylaw:

• Hand sinks — many food sector businesses have hand sinks connected to grease interceptors, which is not necessary but generally harmless. Removing this requirement helps reduce the burden of extensive retrofits on food sector businesses

Add more flexibility for selecting a grease interceptor

We propose to update the bylaw’s language about grease interceptor testing and rating requirements. This change would give business owners more clarity and flexibility to select the right grease interceptor for their needs.

Update fees to reflect today’s costs

Fees have not been updated since the adoption of the bylaw in 2012. We propose to increase fees to reflect the current costs to conduct these activities.