Kitchen Best Management Practices (BMPs)

Municipal code lists fats, oils and grease (FOG) as a prohibited discharge. To minimize the amount of FOG entering the sewer system, restaurants and commercial kitchens are required to install and maintain a grease trap or interceptor.

Implementing kitchen best management practices (BMPs) reduces costly sewage backups or overflows into your business and the environment.

Why Should I Help?

• Prevent grease buildups from blocking sewer lines.
• Stop sewer overflows into streets and storm drains.
• Save money spent on costly cleanups of sewage spills.
• Reduce the number of times you have to clean your grease trap or interceptor.
• Protect the quality of our water.

Do!

• Implement a preventive line maintenance program.
• Put oil and grease in covered collection containers.
• Scrape food scraps from dishes into trash cans or garbage bags and dispose of properly. Avoid using your garbage disposal.
• Remove oil and grease from dishes, pans, fryers and griddles. Cool first before you skim, scrape or wipe off excess grease.
• Prewash dishes and pans with cold water before putting them in the dishwasher.
• Cover kitchen sink with catch basket and empty into garbage can as needed.
• Cover floor drain with fine screen and empty into garbage can as needed.

Don’t!

• Pour oil and grease down the drain.
• Put food scraps down the drain.
• Run water over dishes, pans, fryers and griddles to wash oil and grease down the drain.
• Rinse off oil and grease with hot water.

For more ways to tackle grease, and to download a helpful BMP poster, please click here.

After implementing your BMPs, scheduling frequency-based, routine maintenance is the best way to stay in compliance. LES is the nation’s largest provider of grease trap services. We evacuate 100% of grease trap content and give it a thorough cleaning. This not only helps protect and extend the life of your grease trap, it’s a smarter approach for both your business and the environment. Let’s talk.