Georgia Business Owners Unhappy With New Grease Trap Ordinance

Georgia Business Owners Unhappy With New Grease Trap Ordinance

Some restaurant owners in Valdosta Georgia are upset about a city ordinance they say is unfair and extremely costly.

The City is requiring restaurants, new and old, to install new grease traps that could cost thousands of dollars. Something business owners are not happy about.

Roger Budd Company Superintendent Freddy Temples said this cost them two months of business and over $20,000 for the new grease traps. And they still had to pay over $10,000 in rent while being closed.

“That’ll be $14,000, plus labor,” Temples said. “And labor will probably be anywhere from $5,000-$8,000 in labor.”

If a commercial kitchen doesn’t have adequate grease removal it can get into sewer lines and can cause problems in wastewater plants.

“We have a tank that’s working. Been working for 20 years, 30 years and we never had a complaint on it,” said Temples. “It’s in fine working order now, and this is holding the tenant up from opening up and it’s costing us $20,000-$25,000.″

Although business owners are upset, the city wants them to know that they are just updating outdated systems because their current system does not meet mandated protocols.

“The Fats, Oil and Grease ordinance has been in place since 2009 and there’s been some variance to it in the past depending on the situation,” said the Environmental Manager for the city. “But now every food service establishment has been brought up to code.”

City officials said Valdosta is not the only city taking this seriously. If sewers overflow, it can cause major health concerns and expensive cleanups.

To prevent problems in your commercial kitchen that can result from having a clogged grease trap, consider installing The Drain Strainer. Invented by a former restaurant owner, The Drain Strainer is a commercial garbage disposal alternative that captures food solids that could clog your pipes and grease trap while still allowing your sinks to drain quickly.

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