Stop and Think – Not Down the Sink

03 July 2012 15:41

As a hotel or catering outlet, are you disposing your Fat, Oil and Grease (FOG) correctly? NI Water, in a bid to reduce the number of blockages in its sewerage system and your business, is appealing to business owners to adopt simple measures to ensure they are disposing of their FOG appropriately.

Gavin McCready, NI Water, explains:

“FOG causes major problems to drains and sewers. When they are disposed of down kitchen sinks or drains they cause blockages; when they enter rainwater pipes or gullies they cause pollution in streams and rivers. FOG in liquid form may not appear to be harmful, but as it cools it congeals and hardens, it sticks to the inner lining of drainage pipes and restricts the wastewater flow causing the pipes to block. Using detergents or bleach may appear to help but this is only temporary as the mixture soon turns back to thick or solid fat.

“The number of blockages and pollution incidents relating to FOG are also increasing. NI Water dealt with 18,000 sewer blockages last year, of which approximately 28% of these were caused by FOG. Clearing these blockages costs millions of pounds a year which is money that could be spent improving services to the local community.”

Janice Gault, CEO of the Hotels Federation:

“Businesses also risk blocking their own drainage systems, which results in extra costs being incurred in clean-up efforts. These fat blockages can result in out of sewer flooding, odour problems and the risk of rat infestations, both near and beyond your premises.

“NI Water has recently teamed up with La Mon Hotel and Country Club regarding their disposal methods.”

Every outlet disposing of FOG into sinks and drains is at risk of experiencing damaging and costly drainage problems, but there are ways that you can help and prevent this, for example:

Ӣ Fit a grease trap;
Ӣ Fit an enzyme dosing system
Ӣ Train staff to scrape and wipe plate, pans and utensils into the bin before washing;
Ӣ Store your waste oil and have it recycled.

• Disposal of Fats, Oils and Food Waste Advice