Fats, Oils, Grease (FOG) Program

Fats, Oils, and Greases aren’t just bad for your arteries; they’re bad for sewers too. Sewer overflows and backups can cause health hazards, damage home interiors, and threaten the environment. An increasingly common cause of overflows is sewer pipes blocked by grease. Grease gets into the sewer from household drains as well as from poorly maintained grease traps in restaurants and other businesses.

Residential Information

Too often grease is washed into the plumbing system, usually through the kitchen sink. Grease sticks to the insides of sewer pipes (both on your property and in the streets). Over time the grease can build up and block the entire pipe. Home garbage disposals do not keep grease out of the plumbing system. These units only shred solid material into smaller pieces and do not prevent grease from going down the drain. Commercial additives, including detergents, that claim to dissolve grease may pass grease down the line and cause problems in other areas. The results can be a sanitary sewer back up in your home.

The easiest way to solve the grease problem and help prevent overflows of raw sewage is to keep this material out of the sewer system in the first place. There are several ways to do this. 

• Never pour grease down sink drains or into toilets. 
• Scrape grease and food scraps from trays, plates, pots, pans, utensils, and grills and cooking surfaces into a can or the trash for disposal. 
• Do not put grease down garbage disposals. 
• Put baskets/strainers in sink drains to catch food scraps and other solids, and empty the drain baskets/strainers into the trash for disposal.

Cooking Oil and Grease Disposal

Residents may dispose of cooking oil and grease at no cost at the Glenbard Wastewater Authority, 945 Bemis Road, Glen Ellyn, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, visit the Glenbard Wastewater Authority website.

Restaurant/Commercial Information

Restaurants, large buildings (such as apartment complexes), and other commercial establishments may have grease traps or interceptors that keep grease out of the sewer system. For a grease trap or interceptor to work correctly, it must be properly designed (sized and manufactured to handle the amount that is expected), installed (level, vented, etc.), and maintained (cleaned and serviced on a frequent basis). Solids should never be put into grease traps or interceptors. Routine, often daily, maintenance of grease traps and interceptors is needed to ensure that they properly reduce or prevent blockages. Be cautious of chemicals and additives (including soaps and detergents) that claim to dissolve grease. Some of these additives simply pass grease down pipes where it can clog the sewer lines in another area.

Digital Compliance for Grease Control Devices

The Glenbard Wastewater Authority has launched a free online reporting system for grease control device maintenance records. All food service establishments with grease control devices are encouraged to enroll and start uploading maintenance records to this website. 

Quarterly reports are due on January 15, April 15, July 15 & October 15 for the preceding three months. Reports, with the hauler’s manifest attached, should be uploaded to your SwiftComply business profile. Reports and manifests must be kept on site at your establishment for 24 months from the date of the report and available for the inspector’s review.

Benefits to Your Business

• It’s Easy! Upload records on your computer or mobile device or have your service provider do it for you.
• It’s Secure! Your records are confidential and viewable only by you, your service provider, and GWA’s Environmental Resource Coordinator. Since they’re online, you’ll never lose another record.
• It’s Compliant! Completed records uploaded to this service are compliant with the FOG Ordinance. The inspector can review your compliance without inspecting your facility. If an issue arises, we’ll work with you to resolve it, saving you time.
• It’s Free! Store your grease control device maintenance records online at no cost to your business.

What it Does

• Stores and organizes your grease control device maintenance records online.
• Reminds you when your grease control device is due for service.
• Notifies you of problems, giving you the opportunity to resolve them without an inspection or enforcement.
• Demonstrates compliance remotely, reducing your facility’s FOG inspection priority.

Uploading your records online can help reduce the number of inspections at enrolled facilities, reduce FOG discharges from food service establishments, reduce blockages that impact your plumbing, and prevent sanitary sewer overflows that can harm our waterways.