Is Grease Trap Waste Hazardous? What You Need to Know

Running a commercial kitchen produces a number of unavoidable byproducts, FOG (fats, oil and grease) being chief among them. It is a legal obligation for businesses to capture their FOG waste in a grease trap device or similar interceptor, but this waste hazardous?

In this blog, the experts here at Aqua Mundus look at the risks that can be posed to the environment, public health and even infrastructure if FOG and other waste sediment isn’t properly disposed of.

Yes, grease waste can be incredibly hazardous. The FOG and other waste products captured by the device will absolutely harm the environment, clog and damage pipework and other infrastructure, and pose serious health risks if not properly managed. Let’s go deeper into why.

Grease traps have existed for a long time. There are many different types available, but the basic mechanics of a grease trap are the same. They slow down the flow of wastewater leaving your commercial kitchen, which allows the FOG to naturally float to the top of the unit while the now decontaminated wastewater exits into the sewer from lower in the trap. Even the most basic models significantly reduce the blockages and harm caused by FOG escaping to the sewer and beyond.

When thinking about the hazards of grease trap waste, it’s also important to consider what else goes into your wastewater that may end up captured in the trap. Fats, oils and grease will often be joined by food sediment, the remnants of potentially harmful cleaning products and other contaminants, such as microplastics and bacteria.

With an inefficient, broken or absent grease trap, FOG will flow into the sewer unimpeded. This can lead to serious environmental damage by causing pipe and sewer blockages, which in turn can contaminate local watercourses, harm aquatic life and can even cause disastrous ‘fatbergs’, completely blocking sewers and costing a fortune to remove.

When grease trap waste begins to break down, harmful gasses such as methane and hydrogen sulphide are produced, posing health risks to those who come into contact with them. This is as well as the unpleasant odours that accompany them. Additionally, unmanaged FOG waste will attract rodents and insects that further spread bacteria and diseases.

Untreated FOG can solidify in your pipes, damaging them and causing a total blockage that takes your sinks and dishwashers out of action. It can even cause flooding, which has severe knock-on effects on the hygiene of your kitchen.

In turn, this can result in expensive downtime as you search for and remove the blockage and clean up the resultant mess.

All these serious FOG hazards are avoidable with a proactive approach to grease waste removal, helping you meet your legal obligations and maintaining hygiene at the highest levels. A licenced waste removal service will be able to collect grease trap waste from your premises at regular intervals.

They will take it to authorised facilities where it can be processed into other useful materials, such as biodiesel, or made safe and recycled. This will include waste transfer documentation for your business that shows that you’re legally complying with FOG waste legislation.

Here at Aqua Mundus, we have over 25 years of experience in delivering grease traps and ongoing maintenance. From surveys and installations to repairs and waste transfer advice and other services, we have the expertise to keep your kitchen legally compliant.

Contact us today for any advice you need and to arrange a free site survey to establish the best course of action for your business.