Protect Your Pipes
Protect your home from costly drain and sewer buildups.
Pouring fats, oils and grease (FOG) down the drain and flushing non-flushable items such as wipes, personal care products and medicine clogs pipes and causes backups in homes, sewers and wastewater facilities. Solid FOG, single-use wipes and other non-flushable items, create blockages in our sewer system. Every year, York Region spends over $1 million removing solid FOG, single-use wipes and sanitary products from your pipes.
When your drains get blocked, this may happen in your home:
- Your toilet may not flush properly
- Your toilet may overflow
- Water draining out of the washing machine may cause your toilet, bathtub or shower to fill up with sewage
Homeowners will need to pay to fix blockages that happen in their home. Repairing sewage blockages in your town or city can also lead to increased water rates.
Where do Fats, Oils and Grease Go?
FOG is comprised of fats, oils and grease that turn solid and clogs drains and sewers. This results in costly damage to the sewer system. Safely dispose FOG in your green bin, not down the drain.
Don’t pour these items down the drain:
- Meat fats
- All types of cooking oils
- Butter, margarine, lard and shortening
- Gravy
- Sauces
- Salad dressing
- Sandwich spreads such as peanut butter
How to Dispose of FOG
Before washing pots, pans and dirty dishes, wait for FOG to turn solid then scrape or wipe into your green bin. No green bin? Solid FOG can go in the garbage or can be dropped off at one of York Region’s Waste Depots.
Liquid cooking oils (such as canola, olive, sunflower and vegetable) that don’t harden can be cooled, poured into a sealable container and dropped off at one of York Region’s Waste Depots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pour FOG down the drain if I use hot water, soap or other chemicals to prevent hardening in my pipes?
No. FOG will still cool and turn solid in the pipe even when hot water, soaps or chemicals are used. The use of any chemical to facilitate the passage of oils and grease in sewer pipes is illegal in York Region.
Can I flush FOG down the toilet instead of the sink?
No. All your wastewater pipes are connected to a single sewer pipe from your home. The drains in your toilet, shower, kitchen, laundry or bathtub all connect to the same sewer pipe.
Can I pour FOG down my food waste grinder?
No. FOG will still turn solid and clog pipes, especially when mixed with food waste that contributes to clogged pipes as well. Screen out food particles before they go down the drain and place them in the green bin.
Are there other uses for FOG?
Yes. Waste fats and grease can be used to make suet to feed birds. Restaurants and industries that have large amounts of grease can have it recycled into animal feed or biodiesel.
Related Resources
What Can I Flush?
Only the 3 P’s should be flushed: Pee, Poo and toilet Paper!
Can I Flush “Flushable” Wipes?
You may notice some wipes packages say they’re “flushable” but there are only a few that can be flushed without harming the sewer system. Learn if your wipes can be flushed.
There are some companies that produce wipes that can be flushed into our sewer system. To learn if your wipes can be flushed, check to see if it has been recognized by the International Water Services Flushability Group. These wipes will have to meet strict criteria and undergo testing to be considered flushable.
If you aren’t sure if yours are “flushable”, protect your pipes and throw them in the garbage.
Throw these in the garbage:
- Wipes (baby, disinfectant, etc. that are not approved to flush)
- Condoms
- Cotton balls and pads
- Face masks
- Small Plastic items
- Tampon applicators
Throw these in the green bin:
- Menstruation products (tampons and pads)
- Facial tissue
- Paper towels
If a blockage occurs in your home or office, you may notice your toilet overflowing or not flushing properly. You may also find sewage backing up in your toilet, bathtub or shower. Let’s make sure what you flush does not come back up.
Unused or expired medicine can be brought to a local pharmacy or York Region Waste Depot for safe disposal. Do not throw medicine (including pills and liquid medication) down the drain.
Not sure where it goes? The Bindicator knows.
Related Resources
Commercial Food Businesses – Know Your Sewer Use Bylaw
York Region’s Sewer Use Bylaw protects our sewers and the health and safety of residents.
This Bylaw protects our sewers from becoming overloaded and damaged by outlining what can be discharged into Regional sewers. It regulates that grease interceptors must be used in restaurants and other businesses that cook, process or prepare food to stop fats, oils and grease (FOG) and other debris from entering the sewer system.
Using Your Grease Interceptor
Grease interceptors need to be properly sized and installed. It must be cleaned at least once every four weeks and the maintenance requirements must be posted in a conspicuous location near the grease interceptor.
Businesses must keep records as proof of cleaning/servicing their grease interceptors for the previous two years.
To clean your grease interceptor, remove solid grease at the surface and put it in the green bin; place liquid grease in a sealable container or storage bin to be recycled. It is illegal to use enzymes, bacteria, solvents, hot water or other chemicals to facilitate the passage of oil and grease through interceptors. Businesses may use a grease removal contractor to clean and maintain the grease interceptor.
In addition to York Region’s Sewer Use Bylaw, your city or town may have its own Sewer Use Bylaws aimed at protecting local infrastructure; it is important to ensure compliance with your local Bylaw as well.
York Region’s Enforcement Officers help businesses protect their pipes by inspecting, monitoring and collecting samples of wastewater from businesses and sewer systems to make sure they are following the Sewer Use Bylaw.
Businesses may be fined up to $50,000 for not following the Bylaw the first time, and up to $100,000 if it happens more than once.
Learn more about the Sewer Use Bylaw
Protect Your Pipes from FOG
Follow these tips to prevent FOG going down the drain:
- Ensure employees know how to properly dispose of FOG
- Place a screen over drains or use a grease caddy to collect FOG
- Recycle FOG: many companies provide a bin delivery and pick-up service to recycle FOG into animal feed or biodiesel
- Scrape cooled FOG from dishes and pots before washing; dispose of in green or waste bin
- Post a sign above sinks and on dishwashers
