Community Corner

Public Works Reminder: Beware the F.O.G this Holiday Season

F.O.G.: Fats, Oils and Grease aren't just bad for your arteries and your waistline; they're bad for sewers, too.

The City of Redwood City Works Department is offering a friendly, yet important warning about pouring fats, oils and grease (F.O.G) down household drains while cooking this holiday season.

According to the Public Works website, cooking grease is washed into the plumbing system, usually through the kitchen sink. Grease sticks to the insides of sewer pipe (both on your property and in the streets). Over time, the grease can build up and block the entire pipe.

Grease gets into the sewer from household drains as well as from poorly maintained grease traps in restaurants and other businesses.

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Public Works officials caution that home garbage disposals are not the answer, as they do not keep the grease out of the plumbing systems.

Commercial additives, including detergents, that claim to dissolve grease may pass grease down the line and cause problems in other areas.

Find out what's happening in Redwood City-Woodsidewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Some tips from Public Works to prevent FOG problems:

  • Never pour grease down the sink drain or into toilets.
  • Scrape grease and food scraps into the green waste.
  • Limit garbage disposal use. Garbage disposals allow food mass to enter the sewer system.
  • Use drain screens to prevent food particles and grease from entering the sewer.
  • Scrape grease and food from plates and cookware into the trash before washing. 

For more information on F.O.G and what you can do to prevent grease problems, contact the City of Redwood City Public Works Dept. at 650-780-7464, or by clicking here.



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