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Fats, Oils & Grease Control
Why FOG is Bad
When cooking with fats, oils and grease, they often get poured down the drain and can collect and stick to household plumbing and sewer lines. Over time, blockages occur that lead to sewer backups causing sewers to overflow from plumbing fixtures and/or sewer system manholes.
We encourage all residents and restaurant owners in the Town of Harrisburg to browse through our FOG website to stay current on the best practices to control fats, oils and grease.
Ordinance
The Town of Harrisburg adopted a Fats, Oils and Grease Control Ordinance (PDF) in 2006 to curb sewer system overflows of fats, oils and grease from accumulation in lines. This ordinance applies to restaurants and other non-residential facilities where food is prepared or served.
The FOG Control Ordinance requires food preparation and service facilities to control fats, oils and grease with properly-sized grease interceptors that are cleaned regularly.
Recycling
Please remember that fats, oils and grease should be treated as valuable resources that can be recycled whenever possible. For more information about the FOG program, contact us at 704-455-5614. We are happy to assist in any way.
Materials
Educational materials used on this website are courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Grease Alert!
During recent maintenance of our sewer system, an excessive amount of grease was discovered within the sewer lines. Although it was noticed before a problem occurred, it could have led to a major sewer overflow. To prevent future sewer overflows, we encourage all residents to eliminate fat, oil and grease in your drains.
Kitchen grease is a menace to sewer pipes. Liquefied animal fats, grease and vegetable oils poured in the drains do create problems. As they cool, they eventually solidify and clog pipes. This causes wastewater to backup and leads to sewer overflows and other sewer spills that could threaten your home and the environment.
You Can Help!
- Please do not dispose of cooking grease or oils down drains.
- Please wipe all pots and pans with paper towel and dispose in trash receptacle.
- Place cooking oil in sealed container and dispose of in trash receptacle.
- Don't Feed the Grease Goblin! (PDF)
- Prevent Sewer Backups (PDF)
When Your Drain is Slow
If you do notice your drain lines are draining slowly, please call us. We would like to remind all businesses with grease traps to have them pumped regularly. The Town’s ordinance requires all traps to be pumped out at least quarterly. It also requires that the user maintains a written record of trap maintenance for three years. All such records will be available for inspection by the Town at all times. Your records may also be faxed to 704-455-4761.
Inspections
The Town has been inspecting all grease traps and will be following up with record inspections in the coming months. A copy of the Town’s ordinance is available online (PDF) or by calling 704-239-9762.
Improperly managed oil and grease from restaurants has become a significant problem for wastewater collection and treatment systems. The Town of Harrisburg would like to remind all businesses with grease traps to have them pumped regularly.
Inspections
The Town’s ordinance requires all traps to be pumped out at least quarterly. It also requires that the user maintains a written record of trap maintenance for three years. All such records will be available for inspection by the Town at all times. Your records may also be faxed to 704-455-4761.
The Town has been inspecting all grease traps and will be following up with record inspections in the coming months. A copy of the Town’s ordinance is available online (PDF) or by calling 704-455-4693.
Helpful Information
Helpful information on the best practices to control fats, oils and grease:
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Fats, Oils & Grease Program
Phone: 704-455-5614