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Do... Don't...
  • Do collect oil and grease in a covered container and dispose of it in the garbage or find a grease recycler.
  • Don't pour oil and grease, or put food scraps down the drain.
  • Do scrape excess grease from dishes into the trash rather than sending it down your garbage disposal.
  • Don't run hot water over dishes, pans, fryers and griddles to wash grease down the drain.
  • Do remove oil and grease from kitchen utensils, equipment and food preparation areas with scrapers and paper towels.
  • Don't flush fats, oils and greases.
  • Do keep grease out of your dishwashing water.
  • Don't flush "disposable" wipes and rags.
  • Do place food scraps in collection containers.
  • Don't flush medications.
  • Do reuse cooking oil or find a grease recycler.
  • Don't flush household hazardous waste, such as paints, solvents, insecticides and herbicides.
  • Do flush with care as not everything breaks down like toilet paper—even products that are labeled as disposable or flushable can clog drains.
  • Don't flush toilet-cleaning pads, paper towels or cotton swabs.

Check out our printable fact sheet on minimizing clogs & backups.

Fats, oils and grease (FOGs)

Build up from fats, oils and grease (FOGs) can cause sewage backups on your property and cost you hundreds of dollars in plumbing repairs. When FOGs are poured down the drain, they cool and harden in the pipes, both inside and outside of your home.

What can you do to save yourself from a costly fix? Store FOGs in a disposable container (like an emptied tin can) instead of dumping them down your drain.

Protect your pipes

When the disposable container is full, place in in your usual trash bin for garbage collection. Cooking oil should be cooled and stored in a sealable plastic bottle and labeled before collection.

Additional resources

FOGs aren't the only thing harmful to your pipes. Things like hair, glue and nail polish are also harmful to pipes and to the watershed.

Learn more about what doesn't belong down the drain.

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