Have you ever heard of the term FOG? They are sticky fats, oils and grease used for cooking. They also stick to each other and can clog your home’s plumbing if they go down the drain.
Once FOGs get into the community sewer system, they can form giant fatbergs that clog pipes and damage pumps. A fatberg is a congealed mass formed by the combination of non-biodegradable solid matter such as wet wipes, paper towels and grease.
Please put FOGs such as bacon grease, pan drippings, butter, cream gravy, salad dressing and peanut butter in the trash — not down the drain.
In addition, so called “flushable” wipes and other trash cause expensive damage to sewer systems. Please do not flush any wipes regardless of what the packaging says. Just because an item says it is flushable does not mean that it will breakdown. Only flush human waste and toilet paper.
Last year, Governor Newsom signed California’s Assembly Bill 818 into law requiring “Do Not Flush” labeling on wet wipes. The new law is a result of a three-year effort led by various wastewater and sanitation industry agencies.
Earlier this year, Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) and Congressman Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) introduced the Protecting Infrastructure and Promoting Environmental Stewardship (PIPES) Act, which would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish standards for the flushability of disposable wipes and would impose civil penalties on companies who are knowingly incompliant with these standards. Visit casaweb.org/wipes for more information.
