After frying up some bacon or sautéing some vegetables, the cook is often left with a pan of oil or grease and an important decision to make – whether to pour it down the drain or not.
Everything people in communities surrounding the Bay put down their drains, even a little bit of grease, affects the health of the Bay. Even liquid cooking oil congeals quickly when poured down drains, leading to pipe blockages. Clogged pipes cause sewer overflows, which introduce harmful bacteria into Galveston Bay and the environment. That’s why it’s so important to be cognizant of what goes down the drain.
Galveston Bay Foundation’s Cease the Grease program educates the community about proper grease disposal to keep the grease monster out of their pipes.
Dispose of grease properly:
- Remove kitchen oil from dishes and pans and pour it into a collection container.
- Seal the container and store it in the freezer.
- Once full, recycle the oil or dispose of it in the trash.
Once the used cooking oil is collected at recycling stations, it gets converted into biodiesel, a cleaner-burning fuel than petroleum diesel. By converting cooking oil into biodiesel, billions of gallons of waste grease can be diverted from landfills and pipes and can contribute to improving air and water quality instead of being part of the problem.
Be a part of the solution! When holding a pan after cooking with oil, make the choice not to dump it down the drain and make a difference for your Bay. Visit www.ceasethegrease.net for more tips on recycling grease.