Connecticut Fat Oil and Grease Program Recommendations Include Food Solids Strainers

Connecticut Fat Oil and Grease Program Recommendations Include Food Solids Strainers

The City of Stamford Conneticut’s Fats, Oil, and Grease (FOG) Abatement Program details the problems with food solids clogging their sewer system. They recommend installing sink drain strainers to collect residual food materials and avoid using garbage disposal systems for foods containing FOG materials.

The Drain Strainer is an effective and affordable commercial garbage disposal alternative that prevents food solids from clogging pipes and entering the sewer system. Your sinks will still drain quickly, but you can capture the food solids that harm our water system and our environment.

When FOG materials (lard, meat fats, shortening, butter and margarine, cooking oil, baked goods, sauces, dairy products, food scraps, etc.) are directly/indirectly discharged via kitchen draining sinks, these materials accumulate and cause blockages in private sewer lateral lines and the City’s sanitary collection and conveyance system.

Accumulation of FOG materials in private lateral pipes and sanitary sewer lines can result in sewer backups, overflows, and odor problems for indoor and/or outdoor environments. Additionally, these materials affect the City’s wastewater treatment processes by reducing the efficiency of mechanical and biological operations. Ultimately, accumulation of FOG materials within sanitary sewer lines increases the cost of operating, maintaining, and treating wastewater processes. Additionally, accidental sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) spills require cleaning, repairing, and/or rebuilding of damaged properties, again increasing costs.

The City of Stamford CT began actively administrating the City’s FOG Abatement Program in 2010 for all Class III and IV food preparation establishments (FPEs). More than 400 restaurants, bakeries, schools, hospitals have registered, and have received an overview of the FOG abatement program. Additionally, these commercial kitchen operators received instruction on the minimum inspection and maintenance requirements for FOG removal systems, i.e., grease traps/interceptors and food solids strainers and expectations to implement storm water pollution prevention measures and spill containment and response procedures to prevent refuse and/or FOG materials associated with commercial kitchen activities from entering the city’s storm water conveyance system via entrance into parking lot catch basins and/or overland sheet flow into nearby catch basins or waterways.

Visit https://www.stamfordwpca.org/forms-documents.aspx for more information.

Scroll to Top