Town ofCarbondale

Fats, Oils and Grease, or FOG, are food by-products that can severely damage a building’s sanitary sewer system, the Town of Carbondale’s sanitary sewer collection system and wastewater treatment facility.

Fats, oils, and grease accumulate in the sanitary sewer system. As grease cools, it hardens and clogs pipes. Repairing and cleaning sewer lines is costly and time-consuming. Blocked sewer pipes cause sewer backups and Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs), which is a discharge of raw sewage into streets, yards, lakes, streams, homes, and businesses. As well as wastewater treatment facility shutdowns and regulatory compliance issues, threatening public health and the environment.

To prevent damage to the Town of Carbondale’s sanitary sewer system and the wastewater treatment facility, the Utilities Division of Public Works has a Fat, Oil, & Grease (FOG) program. One of the components of the program concerns the FOG generated inside your home while cooking food. The best and most cost-effective way to dispose of the fats, oils, and grease to prevent backups in your home is by pouring all grease and oil from cooking into a container, putting in the freezer then tossing it in the trash.

Another of the components of the FOG Program involves Food Service Establishment's (FSEs) in our community. Food Service Establishments (FSEs) are the main source of FOG and are required to install a FOG removal device with approval through the Town of Carbondale’s Building & Utilities Department. In many cases FSEs that don’t use oil or fried foods will still produce FOG from associated food products. Municipal Code 13-7-40 outlines a food establishment’s responsibility for removing and properly disposing of fats, oils and grease. In general, (FOG) management will consist of the following:

• Installation of a grease trap or grease interceptor on all grease receiving drains.
• The grease trap/interceptor needs to be accessible, serviceable, and maintained sufficiently to ensure it is functioning as designed.
• The specified grease trap/interceptor must be approved by the Town of Carbondale’s Utilities Department for all new building permits associated with an FSE.
• Full size grease interceptors located in an outdoor accessible area are preferred to support minimal maintenance.
• The grease trap/interceptor shall be available for inspection by the Pretreatment Program Inspector. 

In addition to helping maintain the public infrastructure for the Town of Carbondale, you will also help yourself by reducing the build-up of FOG in your service lines that can cause restrictions and sewer backups, resulting in expensive repairs. For any questions or concerns please contact: