Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) Program 

Cooking grease and oil, meat fats, shortening, butter and margarine all contribute to the buildup of harmful fats, oils and grease (FOG) in our sewer systems. Although FOG floats when warm, it solidifies as it flows down the cooler sewer pipes. Although commercial kitchens are regulated by the City of Houston and are required to install grease traps, residential kitchens are not. Your residents can help stop FOG buildup in your community's pipes by:

• Collecting grease in containers (i.e. used cans, glass jars, etc.)
• Disposing of the hardened grease with their regular trash

Your residents can find tips about proper FOG disposal from the City of Houston's Corral the Grease program here.  

And remember these two common mistakes:

• Garbage disposals are NOT effective for FOG disposal.
• Running hot tap water will NOT float the FOG down the pipe safely - it will cool and harden as it travels.

In 2009, HAA helped the City of Houston correct a potentially expensive laundry room issue with a Plumbing Code amendment. Initially, laundry rooms containing four or more washers would have needed to be retroactively retrofitted with an "interceptor" - an underground concrete box to help settle lint - at a cost that generally exceeded $50,000 each. HAA successfully sought a change to the Plumbing Code section on which the ordinance relied. For more information, read the ABODE article here.