Putting fats, oils and grease down the sink can cause a real pain in the drain. To dispose of these food properly, make sure to “wipe it, green bin it” and put them in your green bin, not down your sink.
As they travel through pipes and sewers, fats, oils, and grease harden and pick up other materials along the way. The result: clogged pipes in your home and blocked sewers that can overflow into homes, businesses and the environment.
Metro Vancouver and its member jurisdictions spend $2.7 million every year to repair damage caused by fats, oils and grease in the sewer system. And that's not counting the costs to individual homeowners to fix clogged pipes. Save your pipes (and your sewers): put grease in your green bin, not down the drain.
Putting grease in your green bin allows it to be turned into compost (instead of ending up in the landfill), which reuses resources and reduces greenhouse gasses. So remember: wipe it, green bin it.
What can't go down the drain
Most of us know bacon grease doesn’t go down the drain, but did you know that there are lots of other foods that can clog pipes?
| FATS – dairy products (like yogurt), margarine, shortening, gravy | | FATS – dairy products (like yogurt), margarine, shortening, gravy | | | https://metrovancouver.org/services/liquid-waste/PublishingImages/Butter1.jpg, Fats
https://metrovancouver.org/services/liquid-waste/PublishingImages/Butter1.jpg | |
| OILS – cooking oils (olive, coconut, canola, vegetable, peanut, etc.), salad dressing, mayonnaise | | OILS – cooking oils (olive, coconut, canola, vegetable, peanut, etc.), salad dressing, mayonnaise | | | https://metrovancouver.org/services/liquid-waste/PublishingImages/plate.jpg, Oils
https://metrovancouver.org/services/liquid-waste/PublishingImages/plate.jpg | |
| GREASE – animal fats left over from cooking meats (bacon grease, pan drippings, etc.). | | GREASE – animal fats left over from cooking meats (bacon grease, pan drippings, etc.). | | | https://metrovancouver.org/services/liquid-waste/PublishingImages/pan.jpg, Grease
https://metrovancouver.org/services/liquid-waste/PublishingImages/pan.jpg | |
How to dispose of fats, oils and grease (wipe it, green bin it)
- Scrape small amounts left over on plates, pots and pans into your green bin before washing.
- Larger amounts of grease and oil, like deep fryer oil, can be dropped off at a
recycling depot that accepts grease and oil.
Need to dispose of a lot of used cooking oil and can’t get to a depot? Try putting small amounts in your green bin every day until you have disposed of the entire amount. Only put in what can be absorbed by the contents of your green bin (fuller green bins can absorb more liquids than emptier ones). Excess liquids in the green bin can cause problems further down the line, as the trucks that collect green bins are not designed to handle liquids.
Fact checker: common grease myths
Find out if these common myths about fats, oils and grease are fact or fiction.
| You can avoid problems by running hot water with soap. | You can avoid problems by running hot water with soap. | <div class="ExternalClassD7BE27D935A34BB891567C2511566DD0"><p>Nope. Fats, oils and grease don’t only harden harden in sewers because of cold temperatures, but because of a chemical reaction that turns them into a concrete-like material. Over time this material builds and builds, eventually clogging pipes. Greasy foods mixed with soap still become part of that chemical reaction.
<span id="ms-rterangecursor-start"></span><span id="ms-rterangecursor-end"></span><br></p></div> |
| It’s OK if you put everything through an in-sink food grinder first. | It’s OK if you put everything through an in-sink food grinder first. | <div class="ExternalClassAD429657787541C18D53291F058A37E2"><p>Food grinders may break grease up into small pieces, but that doesn’t make it go away. It still goes into the sewer, where it can build up and create clogs.</p><span id="ms-rterangecursor-start"></span><span id="ms-rterangecursor-end"></span><br></div> |
| Small amounts down the drain are okay. | Small amounts down the drain are okay. | <div class="ExternalClassAEF655D979AD4D9397DA8B39C1442082"><p>With 2.5 million people in our region, those small amounts add up and can really slow down our pipes. Over time, small amounts of fats, oils and grease can turn into big clogs.<span id="ms-rterangecursor-start"></span><span id="ms-rterangecursor-end"></span><br></p></div> |
| I only really need to worry about keeping bacon grease out of the drain. | I only really need to worry about keeping bacon grease out of the drain. | <div class="ExternalClass61E44221AA174493886E1C65702985CE"><p>Bacon grease may be the most obvious clogger, but it’s far from the only one. Fats, oils and grease should all go in your green bin. Just wipe it, green bin it.<br></p></div> |
How fats, oils and grease affect the sewer system
Check out these videos to see firsthand what happens when fats, oils and grease get into the region’s sewer system.