Cease the Grease!
All of the "gunk" pictured above is one of the leading causes for sewage spills. Grease and oil that we put into our sinks. I visited the City of Jacksonville's Land Application Site where all of our water we use in our homes "flushes" to get treated. The grease gets filtered out and accumulates in its own pit (which is what you see above), where it eventually has to be emptied by a big machine which scoops it out. Now, if you do not live within the city limits you probably have a house with a septic tank buried in the ground. It is extremely important for homeowners who have a septic tank to also take care with discarding waste oil because your sewage will not get filtered out here. Instead, it can clog your sewer lines and lead to sewage backup in your home or backyard.
Yes, it's gross, but how does it affect my clean drinking water? When sewer backups and/or sewage spills occur, raw sewage flows to storm drains and creeks that feed into our rivers, contaminating our drinking water and threatening our health.
FOG's are known as Fats, Oil, & Grease. We interact with these cooking byproducts in liquid form, which seem pretty innocent when they mix with water and easily disappear down the drain as we wash our dishes. However, as the FOG's cool, they congeal and can stick to the sewer pipes, leading to clogging and blockages. Using a garbage disposal or putting greasy dishes into the dishwater doesn't make it any better, in fact it still all travels through the same pipe.
Here is a great diagram from New Castle County, Deleware's Sewer site.

So, what can we do to make sure we keep our sewage systems "fat-free?!" After cooking with fat, oils or grease, give it time to cool and congeal. Once it hardens, wipe it off with a paper towel and throw it in the trash to be taken to the landfill and disposed of properly. However, if you have a larger amount of grease, pour it into a coffee can while it is still at room temperature. Now you can store it in the fridge or freezer to be used for next time. EASY!
