Grease is a problem for you as a
ratepayer, business owner, and/or resident and for the City wastewater
system.
It can lead to blockages that cause sewage overflows, creating
health hazards that are expensive to clean up. While grease in the sewer can
be a problem, if kept out of the sewer it can be used as a renewable
source of energy. Using grease for fuel can reduce fossil fuel demands and
greenhouse gas emissions.
The City is studying the recovery of grease, which will keep grease out of
the sewers and instead be used as fuel. As part of this effort, the City is
conducting a survey to determine the quantity of grease in its service area
in order to understand the benefits and costs of such a program. City staff
will contact food industry business owners.
Grease is a byproduct of cooking that comes from meat fats, lard, oil, shortening, butter, margarine, food scraps, baked goods, sauces, and dairy products. If you are in the food industry, you likely produce grease.
The program likely will not impact business daily operations if grease is currently managed . Locations that do not have the necessary equipment or practices to control grease going into the sewer would be asked to meet best management practices defined by this plan. The program goals include reducing the quantity of grease going into the sewer through proper maintenance of grease traps. Rather than directing collected grease trap material to the landfill, it would be directed to a resource recovery program to convert grease to renewable energy (green energy).
Contact Public Works Operations Source Control specialists.
