Save or Recycle Cooking Grease
November 24, 2009
Prevent Pollution and Don't Put it Down the Drain this Holiday Season - When cooking during the holidays, especially if you're frying a turkey, the City of Tallahassee Utilities reminds you to save, recycle or dispose of oil and grease properly.
When poured down drains or toilets, oil and grease can clog wastewater lines to the point of causing costly backups and overflows. Fat, roots, oil and grease (or F.R.O.G.) are the leading causes of sewer backups in homes and restaurants.
Here are some suggestions for properly disposing of unwanted kitchen grease, oil and fats.
- Pour leftover grease and oil into a sealed container.
- Wipe greasy pans with a paper towel.
- Absorb leftover grease and oil with kitty litter.
- After using any of these disposal methods and the grease, oil or fat has cooled, the sealed container, paper towel or kitty litter should be discarded with the household trash, not flushed or washed down the drain.
"We're reminding everyone that when they are cooking their favorite recipes during the holidays to keep in mind that greasy liquids or fatty food scraps should not be put down the drain or into garbage disposals," said Underground Utilities General Manager Mike Tadros. "Wipe greasy pans with a paper towel and pour excess cooking oil in containers for later use. Or recycle it at the City's Fleet Management used cooking oil collection sites."
The contributions of used cooking oil will be reused to produce clean-burning biodiesel for the City's diesel vehicles. Customers who cannot take advantage of the recycled cooking oil program should use the disposal methods outlined above.
Used Cooking Oil Recycling Sites:
- City of Tallahassee Fleet Management, 400 Dupree St. (customer service entrance)
- City of Tallahassee Solid Waste Services, 2727 Municipal Way
- Fort Braden Solid Waste entrance at 2485 E. Joe Thomas Rd.
- Miccosukee Solid Waste entrance at 13051 Miccosukee Rd.
- Woodville Solid Waste entrance at 549 Henry Jones Rd.
For more information on this program, call City of Tallahassee Utilities at 891-4YOU (4968) or visit Talgov.com/YOU.
Contact
Dean Chaaban, Underground Utilities, 891-1215; or Lizzy Kelley, Department of Communications, 891-8533
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