One of my fondest memories as a child was waking up every Saturday morning to bacon and eggs. You know what I’m talking about - the sound and smell of bacon sizzling in the frying pan, fresh eggs being cracked, whipped up then poured into the same frying pan to soak up all that bacon fat (come on… I know I am not the only one who enjoyed this oh so good but oh so bad breakfast ritual). After breakfast, my dad would pour the remnants into an old Nabob coffee can, but I never understood why. Well now I do…
Beware the Blob! [insert scream here]
Sure, it’s quick and easy to pour excess oil down the drain when you’re finished cooking but, in the long run, this is wreaking havoc on your pipes and sewer system. As it makes its way to the wastewater (which contains chemicals and grease from other households) it bonds with calcium and turns into a soapy, waxy blob known as a fatberg (picture the iceberg in Titanic but replace ice with solid grease/fat). Over time, these fatbergs continue to grow and build up in your pipes causing clogs, blockages and very expensive repairs.
In Britain, a 17-ton fatberg was removed from a sewer system. Can you imagine? That is equal to the weight of two fire trucks! This is the Blob that will have you running for your life, It Will Eat You Alive!
Some main contributors of oil and grease include:
- Frying and cooking oil
- Mayonnaise
- Salad dressings
- Butter and margarine
- Fat from meats
Now we don’t want you living a real-life horror story, so it wouldn’t be fair of us to share this problem without offering some solutions:
- Do as my father did and pour excess oil and grease into a container or jar (a great purpose for those glass jars), seal it and dispose of it.
- If you have oil or grease mixed with water (perhaps from boiling hot dogs), place a paper towel over your drain to filter the grease from the water as you pour it out. You can toss the grease-laden paper towel in the trash.
- Use a thickening agent to solidify the grease before throwing it in the garbage.
We hope we’ve scared you just enough to make you think twice before pouring your grease and oil down the drain. If not, there is a very good chance The Blob Will Get You.