Being "Sink-Wise" in the Kitchen
Don't clog your pipes with your kitchen waste!
The disposal of vegetable oils, warm fats and food scraps down sinks and drains causes thousands of blocked drains every year.
While the sewerage system can cope with human waste and waste water from kitchens, it is not designed to be a waste disposal unit for everything.
The disposal of fats, oils, grease and food scraps down sinks and drains causes problems with smells, and the smells attract vermin.
The build up of fats in the sewers clogs up the system, and leads to sewage flooding and environmental pollution.
Handling fat, oil and grease
Use your Fat Trap.
Do not pour fat, oil and grease ("FOG") down the sink or drain.
Take the cooking container with the "FOG" in it – your frying pan or roasting tin – and pour the cooled-off but still liquid fat or oil into your Fat Trap instead of down your sink. Empty the contents of the Fat Trap into a throwaway jar when full and put that in with your household rubbish.
Scrape off surplus "FOG".
Do not rinse frying pans, pots, pans and plates with hot water to remove all the grease.
Remove oil and grease from frying pans, pots, pans and plates with scrapers and kitchen paper before you wash them.
Handling greasy surfaces
Wipe preparation surfaces.
Do not use hot water to rinse all grease from work surfaces.
Wipe greasy work surfaces with kitchen paper before you wash them.
Handling other kitchen waste
Do not put food scraps down the sink or drain.
Put food scraps in the bin. Wrap well if necessary, and dispose of with your household rubbish.
If you can, invest in a composter and put the vegetable scraps in there, and the results on the garden.
Warning: Never put meat scraps or grease into a composter. The rotted remains don't provide anything that a plant wants. Plants want rotted down dead plants, not dead animals. The smell of rotting meat will attract vermin to your property, and after the composter they'll sniff around your house.