Access: Business Establishments

Overview: A walkthrough of FOG and how your business can help prevent FOG related problems.

Topics:

FOG is a shorthand way of saying Fats, Oils and Grease. FOG is composed of animal and vegetable fats and oils that are used to cook and prepare food. FOG should be recycled for use in other products, properly disposed of or land applied.

FOG can also cause backups in your sewer lines that can send sewage into your home or restaurant. That is an open invitation for disease and illness. A wastewater system is similar to the human body. Wastewater flows through pipes (arteries), is pumped at pump stations (heart) and cleaned by the wastewater plant (kidneys). FOG clogs the pipes in the sewer system just like cholesterol clogs arteries. This makes the pumps work harder and can cause them to fail, just like having a heart attack.

Food waste, as well as water that has been used to wash kitchen equipment, dishes, and floors, contains FOG. When FOG is washed or poured down the drain and into the sewer, it cools and solidifies causing sewer pipes to become clogged.

Over time, FOG builds up and eventually blocks entire sewer pipes, causing sewage backups and overflows. Property damage can result from sewage backing up into the building leading to expensive cleanup and plumbing repairs that you are responsible for. Sewage spills and backups can also result in Health Department code violations that can lead to the closure of your business operations.

If a sewer spill occurs, immediately stop using water, call a plumber, and the City immediately! If sewage is released and enters a storm drain, the sewage will flow to the ocean causing an immediate public health hazard and possible beach closure.

To eliminate FOG related sewer spills and backups, the City has adopted a maintenance program to frequently inspect and clean the City’s sewer lines. However, the most effective way to minimize FOG accumulation in sewers is to prevent the introduction of FOG into the sewer system in the first place.

To achieve this goal, the City adopted a Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) Control Program that regulates FSEs and provides a mechanism to help control and minimize the introduction of FOG into the City’s sewer system. The City’s FOG Control Program implements a three-part approach:

The FSE FOG Control program provides the City, through the FOG ordinance, with the authority to inspect and monitor the implementation of BMPs.

Enhanced sewer maintenance activities are scheduled as a result of the City’s inspection of the sewer system using a closed circuit television (CCTV) inspection system.

Achieving compliance with the City’s FSE FOG Control Program requires the implementation of all of the following BMPs by the FSE through an Employee Training and Awareness Program.

The above BMPs are designed to reduce or eliminate FOG into the sewer system. Other BMPs not listed may be necessary to further reduce or eliminate FOG.

Remove food waste with paper towels or a spatula from dishes, pans, and workareas by “dry wiping” before washing will prevent FOG from entering your sewer system. Washing food waste and FOG into the drains will eventually cause FOG to build up and create costly blockages in your sewer lines. Train employees how to “dry wipe” food waste from pots, pans, and dishware by:

All employees shall be trained on spill containment and proper spill cleanup methods. Preventing spills will help prevent slips and fall hazards as well as clogged drains. For spill prevention:

Restaurants that use large amounts of cooking fats, such as deep fryers, should post their spill response procedures and have a spill kit in an easily accessible well known location. The spill kit shall contain absorbent material, like absorbent pads or kitty litter for liquid spills. To clean FOG spills employees should be trained to:

Keeping food particles containing FOG out of the sewer system can prevent clogged drains and pipe blockages. To implement this, install screens that have 1/8-inch or 3/16-inch screen openings in each floor, mop and hand sink. Train employees on the following:

Proper dishwashing and cleaning methods will prevent food solids and FOG from clogging drains and causing backups. Train employees to:

All waste fryer oil and cooking grease must be disposed into designated waste FOG containers. A list of suggested registered liquid waste haulers can be found on Orange County’s Health Care website. To recycle FOG, train your employees to:

Routinely clean kitchen exhaust system filters. If filters are not cleaned on a regular basis, grease and oils escape through the kitchen exhaust system and can accumulate on the roof of your establishment and eventually enter the storm drain system when it rains. Hood filters can be cleaned by a company or employees. If employees clean hood filters train your employees to:

Spraying filters with hot water using little or no detergent over a mop sink connected to a grease trap or interceptor can also effectively clean hood filters. After a hot water rinse (drain must be connected to a grease trap or interceptor), filter panels can be placed into the dishwasher.

Post “No Grease” signs near three compartment sinks and mop sinks to remind your staff that FOG should never be poured down the drain. This will serve as a constant reminder to your employees to properly recycle FOG and to dispose of food waste in the garbage, not down the drain. The City will provide your facility with “No Grease” signs and other FOG related information that you can use to educate your staff.

Grease traps and grease interceptors are both considered grease control devices. Grease traps are smaller devices, usually 25-100 gallon capacity, that are typically located inside a food service facility. A grease interceptor is a larger device, usually 750 to 2,000 gallon capacity, which is located underground and outside of a food service establishment. Grease control devices are designed to collect, contain and remove food solids and grease from wash water while allowing the remaining liquid waste to discharge to the sewer system.

For grease control devices to be effective the units must be properly sized and maintained to allow adequate time for food solids and FOG to settle and accumulate. Inspecting and cleaning a grease control device is critical to ensure that it is functioning properly. Grease Control Devices are required to be cleaned every 6 months at a minimum. Proof of maintenance can be kept in the online SwiftComply database.

The total FOG and solids in the grease control device should never be over 25% of the capacity of the tank. Always review the maintenance record to see that it is less than 25%. If the grease control devices is greater than 25 percent of the holding capacity you are required to perform a full cleaning of the device.

FSEs that clean their own grease control devices are required to maintain a record that documents the cleaning activities in the FOG Training Manual. Records should include the name of the employee who performed the cleaning, date/time of cleaning, amount of grease removed and the disposal location for the grease.

When inspecting and/or cleaning your grease trap, confirm that the grease traps contain their internal baffles and inlet piping flow restrictors/air relief during every inspection and cleaning. These components aid in grease removal by reducing turbulence and increasing holding time within the trap.

Self-clean Maintenance Action Plan: