Winter Months Are No Holiday from Sewage Spills in the Bay

The holidays are just around the corner, and many Bay Area residents are gearing up for special meals with buttery foods, turkeys and homemade gravy.  Most people don’t realize that the preparation and cleanup of rich holiday meals is a primary cause of sewage spills in winter months. Cooking rich foods like turkey and gravy creates fats, oil and grease which get washed down the drain during cleanup of pots, pans and fryers. Oil and greasy scraps stick to the inside of sewer lines and build up over time, causing clogs. These clogs can lead to sewage backing up in your home, backyard or neighborhood. When backups occur, untreated sewage can flow to storm drains and local creeks that feed into San Francisco Bay, harming the marine ecosystem and wildlife that depend on healthy water. 

Many of the Bay Area’s sewage spill problems must be addressed through government action such as investing in sewage infrastructure repairs. Fortunately, individuals can stop residential sewage clogs relatively easily just by keeping grease out of their sinks.

San Francisco Baykeeper and the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) work together during the holiday season to raise awareness about sewage backups caused by fats, oil and grease and have developed recommendations to help individuals stop winter sewage spills:

• Pour cooled fats, oils and grease into a can with a lid, or mix it with an absorbent material such as cat litter, and dispose of in the garbage.
• Wipe down greasy pots, pans and dishes with a paper towel. Dispose of the paper towel in your kitchen scrap recycling or in the garbage.
• Don’t use hot water or the garbage disposal to wash grease down the drain. Water cools through the pipes, causing the grease to harden into clogs further along in the sewer system.
• Drop off large amounts of cooking oil – like used oil from a turkey fryer – at recycling locations throughout the East Bay. 

Cooking oil recycling sites include:

EBMUD Wastewater Treatment Plant: 2020 Wake Avenue, Oakland CA. Go to the guard station for directions to the self-service receptacle. Open seven days a week for all EBMUD residential customers.

West County Integrated Waste Management Authority: 101 Pittsburg, Richmond. Open Thursday and Friday and the first Saturday of the month,
9 am – 4 pm, closed for lunch 12 – 12:30 pm

Central Contra Costa Household Hazardous Waste Facility: 4797 Imhoff Place, Martinez. Open Tuesday – Saturday, 9 am – 4 pm

Costco Warehouse Parking Lot: 450 10th Street at Bryant, San Francisco.
Special drop-off event:
Friday, November 28: 9am - 8:30pm
Saturday, November 29: 9:30am - 7pm
Sunday, November 30: 10am - 6pm

San Francisco Whole Foods Markets Parking Areas: 1765 California St at Franklin; 450 Rhode Island St at Mariposa; 399 4th St at Harrison.
Special drop-off event:
Friday, November 28 to Sunday, November 30: 8am - 10pm