Keep Grease, Wipes, & Other Objects Out of the Pipes
Smart disposal of grease, “flushable” wipes, and other non-wastewater items can help protect you, our sources of drinking water, and our environment. Dumping these items down the drain is not only illegal, but it can also cause sewage back-ups and flooding. Sanitary sewer overflows can cause property damage and have a negative impact on the environment by entering lakes, rivers, and other sources of drinking water. PWC does its part to prevent overflows and we need our customers to do their part as well, by properly disposing of these items.
Other Resources
Keep Grease & Wipes Out the Pipes or Else! (Podcast)
Don’t be a Pain in the Drain/Prevent Wastewater Backup (PDF)
In addition to fat, oil, grease, and “flushable” wipes, these items should also NEVER be flushed:
- Paper towels
- Cigarette butts
- Diapers
- Feminine hygiene napkins & applicators
- Condoms
- Q-tips/cotton balls
- Dental floss
- Kitty litter
- Medications/medical waste (syringes)
- Food wrappers
- Clothing tags
- Any plastic products
How to Dispose of Medicine Properly
Cease the Grease!
Smart food disposal can help protect our environment, our sources of drinking water, and your own property. Dumping grease, fats, and oil is not only illegal, but it can also cause sewage back-ups and flooding. Sewage back-ups can damage personal and public property. Do your part to prevent such accidents by following these guidelines for proper food disposal:
DON’T dump cooking oil, poultry fat and grease into the kitchen sink or the toilet bowl.
DON’T depend on heavy-duty drain cleaners to fix a grease clog. These cleaners do not melt the grease. Grease re-solidifies inside sewer lines and causes blockages.
DO dispose of fats, grease, and oils properly. Pour cooled fat, grease, and used cooking oil into a disposable container – like a Fat Trapper (any empty plastic food container works well) – and put it in the garbage.
DO use paper towels to wipe residual grease or oil off of dishes, pots and pans prior to washing them.
DO check out PWC’s special disposal information for commercial customers.
Get a FREE Fat Trapper by visiting PWC’s Customer Payment Center Drive-Thru (955 Old Wilmington Rd.). Get free bag refills by completing the request form or calling (910) 223-4754.
It’s Against the Law
DID YOU KNOW? It’s against the law to dump grease, wipes, and other non-wastewater items down the drain. The City of Fayetteville’s Sewer Use Ordinance (SUO) forbids it. The following sections of the SUO specifically address the discharge of these items into our sewer collection system.
Section 28-73 Prohibited Discharge Standards
B) Specific Prohibitions
2) Solid or viscous substances in amounts that may cause obstruction to the flow in a sewer.
3) Petroleum oil, non-biodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil origin, in amounts that will cause interference or pass through.
14) Fats, oils, or greases of animal or vegetable origin in concentrations greater than two hundred fifty (250) mg/l.
Section 28-85 Grease and Oil Removal
B) For grease traps, the service shall be completed and documented at an interval not to exceed 60 days unless approval is obtained in writing from PWC.
PWC may require more frequent cleaning as deemed necessary. For under-the-sink interceptors, the service shall be completed and documented daily or at a frequency recommended by the manufacturer.
F) The user shall maintain a written record on the site, of trap or interceptor maintenance, for three years.
Section 28-161
a) Any user who is found to have failed to comply with any provision of this Article, or the orders, rules, regulations and permits issued hereunder, may be fined up to twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per day per violation.
For more information or a complete copy of Fayetteville’s Sewer Use Ordinance, contact PWC’s Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator at (910) 223-4754.
