Myths About FOG How to properly dispose of FOG
Myths About FOG Myths Myths Myths About About About FOG FOG FOG Fats, Oils, and Grease & the Environment Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) are a major environmental problem in cities across Harris County. When you discard your cooking oil into your kitchen sink, it accumulates inside the sewer pipes making water treatment plant. When wastewater cannot make its way through the lawns and storm drains. Storm drains carry rainwa ter away from homes, and anything that is thrown on the street goes untreated to our water sources such as our bayous, lakes, and Galveston Bay. You can help us keep our water running clean by learning how to dispose of your cooking oil and grease properly. There are many things that you can do to prevent fats, oils, and grease from entering our waterways. First, we’ll describe some of the myths about the proper disposal of FOG. Then, we’ll provide ideas on how to keep fats, oils, and grease out of our waterways. Wash grease with dish soap Wash Wash Wash grease grease grease with with with dish dish dish soap soap soap Fact: Even though Fact: Fact: Fact: Even Even Even though though though soap breaks up soap soap soap breaks breaks breaks upup up grease, it loses its grease, grease, grease, it it loses it loses loses its itsits effectiveness downeffectiveness effectiveness effectiveness downdowndownstream, allowing stream, stream, stream, allowing allowing allowing grease to solidify on grease grease grease toto to solidify solidify solidify ononon the pipe walls. the the the pipe pipe pipe walls. walls. walls. Running hot tap water will help Running Running Running hot hot hot tap tap tap water water water will willwill help help help Fact: Running hot tap water will NOT help Fact: Fact: Fact:Running Running Running hot hot hot tap tap tap water water water will willwill NOT NOT NOT help help help the sewer pipe bethe the the sewer sewer sewer pipe pipe bebebecause thepipe water will cause cause cause the the the water water water will will eventually cool as will eventually eventually eventually cool cool cool asasas pipe and the grease pipe pipe pipe and and and the the the grease grease grease will become solid will will will become become become solid solid solid again. again. again. again. Pour cooking oil at room temperature Pour Pour Pour cooking cooking cooking oiloiloil atatroom at room room temperature temperature temperature Fact: Fact: Fact: Fact: on water and adhere on water on water water and and and adhere adhere adhere toonthe sewer pipes. to to the to the sewer the sewer sewer pipes. pipes. pipes. It is best to avoid Itpouring Itisis Itbest best is best totodown avoid avoid to avoid oil the pouring pouring pouring oiloildown oil down down the thethe drain altogether to drain drain drain altogether altogether altogether to to avoid sewage prob- to avoid avoid avoid sewage sewage sewage probprobproblems. lems. lems. lems. How to properly dispose of FOG How Howto How toproperly properly to properly dispose dispose dispose ofofFOG FOGof FOG Most household plumbing lines are small, and conMost Mostdirectly Most household household household plumbing plumbing plumbing lines lines are are lines small, small, areand small, andconconand connect to pipes that are only slightly larger. nect nectdirectly nect directly totopipes pipes togrease that pipes thatare are that only only are slightly slightly onlyinlarger. slightly larger. larger. When fats,directly oils, and are present these When When When fats, fats,oils, fats, oils,and and oils, grease grease and grease are arepresent present are present ininthese these in these streets polluting our waterways including Galveston streets streets streets polluting polluting polluting our ourwaterways waterways our waterways including including including Galveston Galveston Galveston Bay. Bay. Bay.Bay. Here is what you can do to protect our natural enviHere Hereis Here iswhat what is you what youcan can you dodo can totoprotect do protect to from protect our ournatural natural our envinatural environment and keep our water free fats, oils, and environment ronment ronment and and keep keep and our keep our water water our free water free from from free fats, fats, from oils, oils, fats, and and oils, an grease. grease. grease. grease. • Take liquid oils to your local Household ••Take Take •liquid Take liquidliquid oils oilstotooils your your to local local your Household Household local Household Hazardous Waste facility. This is the best way to Hazardous Hazardous Hazardous Waste Waste Waste facility. facility. facility. This This is is the This the best is the way way best toto way t get rid of all your fats, oils, and grease.best get getridrid get ofofall rid allyour of your allfats, fats, your oils, oils, fats, and and oils, grease. grease. and grease. • Pour liquid oils and grease at room temperature ••Pour Pour •heat liquid Pour liquid liquid oils oilsand and oils grease grease and bags grease atatroom room at temperature temperature room temperature into resistant plastic or old containers into into heat into heat resistant heat resistant resistant plastic plastic plastic bags bags or or bags old old containers or containers old such as plastic milk containers, water bottles,container or such such as such as plastic plastic as plastic milk milk containers, containers, milk containers, water water bottles, bottles, water or bottles, o glass jars. Once the container is full, seal it andor glass glassglass jars. Once jars. Once Once the container container the container is isfull, full,seal is seal full, it itand seal and it and throw itjars. away withthe your regular trash. throw throw throw it itaway away itwith away withyour your with regular regular your regular trash. trash. trash. • Scrape fats, grease and food from plates and ••Scrape Scrape • Scrape fats, fats,grease fats, grease grease and and food and from from food plates plates fromand plates and and cooking utensils into thefood trash can before washcooking cooking cooking utensils utensils utensils into into the the into trash trash the can can trash before before canwashbefore wash- wash ing them or placing them in your dishwasher. ing ingthem them ing or them orplacing placing or placing them them inthem inyour your dishwasher. indishwasher. your dishwasher. Use basket strainers in sinks to catch any food Use Use basket Use basket basket strainers strainers strainers in in sinks sinks in to sinks to catch catch to any any catch food food any food particles and empty the contents in the trash. particles particles particles and andempty empty and empty the thecontents contents the contents ininthe thetrash. trash. in the trash. What Whatabout aboutoil oilfrom fromcars? cars? Pollution Pollution costs costsus usall, all, and andthere thereare arefines. fines. USED USEDOIL OILDUMPING DUMPING DUMPING CRIMINAL CRIMINAL CRIMINALOFFENSES OFFENSES OFFENSESAND AND ANDPENALTIES PENALTIES PENALTIES Can CanYour YourFats Fats And keep keep our our water waterrunning runningclean clean AndAnd keep our water running clean ••Texas TexasWater Water WaterCode, Code, Code,Section Section Section7.176 7.176 7.176 ••AAperson intentionally ororor knowingly person person intentionally intentionallydischarges discharges dischargesused used usedoil oil oil knowingly knowingly disposes of or otherwise handles any used oil within disposes disposes of of or or otherwise otherwisehandles handlesany anyused usedoil oil within within the used oil theState State Stateofof ofTexas Texas Texasinin inviolation violation violationofof ofthe the therules rules rulesfor for for used used oil oil ••Each day is a separate violation Each day day is is aa separate separate violation violation ••Fine Fineofof ofnot not notless less lessthan than than$1,000 $1,000 $1,000oror ormore more morethan than than$50,000 $50,000 $50,000 and/or and/or imprisonment imprisonment up upto tofive fiveyears years WATER WATERPOLLUTION POLLUTION POLLUTION CRIMINAL CRIMINAL CRIMINALOFFENSES OFFENSES OFFENSESAND AND ANDPENALTIES PENALTIES PENALTIES GREASE GREASE GREASE Did you know that Did Didyou youknow knowthat thatused used usedoil oil oilfrom from fromaaasingle single singleoil oil change can pollute up to one million gallons change changecan canpollute polluteup upto to one one million million gallons gallonsof of freshwater? Improper disposal of used freshwater? freshwater? Improper Improperdisposal disposal of of used usedoil, oil, oil,which which includes oil leaking includes includesoil oilleaking leakingfrom from fromcars cars carsparked parked parkedin in indrivedrivedriveways, contributes ways, ways,contributes contributesto to tostorm storm stormwater water waterpollution. pollution. pollution. When When oil leaks from cars parked in our driveways, it oil oilleaks leaksfrom fromcars carsparked parked in in our our driveways, driveways, it isis washed off as runoff into the storm washed washedoff offas asrunoff runoffinto into the the storm stormdrains drains drainsafter afteraa rain shower. The rain rainshower. shower. The Thewater water waterand and andeverything everything everythingthat that thatgoes goes into the storm drain enter our local waterways into intothe thestorm stormdrain drainenter enter our our local local waterways waterways untreated, polluting untreated, untreated,polluting pollutingour our ourwater water waterand and andendangering endangering endangering marine life. marine marinelife. life. ••Texas TexasWater Water WaterCode, Code, Code,Section Section Section7.145 7.145 7.145 ••AAperson intentionally ororor person person intentionally intentionallyoror orknowingly knowingly knowinglydischarges discharges discharges permits the discharge of a waste or pollutant into permits permits the the discharge discharge of ofaawaste wasteor orpollutant pollutantinto into ororor ororadjacent water waterinin inthe the thestate state statethat that thatcauses causes causes adjacent adjacenttoto towater to cause water pollution without strict threatens to cause cause water waterpollution pollutionwithout withoutstrict strict threatens threatens to compliance compliance compliancewith with withall all allrequired required requiredpermits permits permitsoror orother other other authorization; Water in the state includes authorization; authorization; Water Water in in the thestate stateincludes includesdrainage drainage drainage ditches ditches ditchesand and andstorm storm stormwater water watersewers sewers sewers ••Each day is a separate Each day day is is aa separate separateviolation violation violation •• Imprisonment Imprisonment up up to to five fiveyears yearsand/or and/or Preventing fats, oils, and Preventing Preventing fats, fats, oils, oils, and and grease from polluting our grease greasefrom frompolluting polluting our our waterways waterways waterways a fine up up to to $100,000. $100,000. Southwest Southwest SouthwestMontgomery Montgomery MontgomeryCounty County County Storm Water Storm Water WaterCoalition Coalition CoalitionMembers Members Members ••City CityofofOak Oak OakRidge Ridge RidgeNorth North North ••Montgomery Montgomery MontgomeryCounty County CountyDrainage Drainage DrainageDistrict District DistrictNo. No. No.666 ••Montgomery No. 19 Montgomery MontgomeryCounty County CountyMunicipal Municipal MunicipalUtility Utility UtilityDistrict District District No. No. 19 19 ••Rayford Road Municipal Utility District Rayford Rayford Road Road Municipal MunicipalUtility UtilityDistrict District How Howto tominimize minimizecar car fluids fluids from entering our waterways from fromentering enteringour ourwaterways waterways »»» Check Checkyour yourcar carfor foroil oil and and fluid fluid drips drips and and fix any leaks as soon leaks leaksas assoon soonas as aspossible. possible. possible. there isisa aaspill, spill, »»» IfIfIfthere thereis spill,use use usesawdust sawdust sawdustor or orcat cat catlitter litter litterfor for clean-up and dispose of it properly. clean-up clean-upand anddispose dispose of of itit properly. properly. Use drip pan »»» Use Useaaadrip drippan panunder under underyour your yourvehicle vehicle vehicleifififyou you youhave haveaa leak or are doing leak leakor orare aredoing doingengine engine enginework. work. work. » Recycle used motor oil. Contact »» Recycle Recycleused usedmotor motoroil. oil. Contact Contactyour your yourlocal local localauto auto supply store or Household Hazardous Waste supply supplystore storeor orHousehold Household Hazardous Hazardous Waste (HHW) facility (HHW) (HHW)facility facilityin in inyour your yourcity. city. city. ••Southern District Southern SouthernMontgomery Montgomery MontgomeryCounty County CountyMunicipal Municipal MunicipalUtility Utility Utility District District ••Spring Creek Utility District Spring Spring Creek Creek Utility Utility District District Report Report Reportillegal illegal illegaldumping dumping dumping Call Call Call281-292-4642 281-292-4642 281-292-4642 Find Findout out outwhere where whereto to todispose dispose disposeof of ofFOG FOG FOG smcstormwater.org smcstormwater.org smcstormwater.org CleanWaterways.org CleanWaterways.org CleanWaterways.org
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