Fats Oils & Grease Disposal
Fats, oils, and grease (F.O.G) resulting from food preparation in homes and businesses can build up in sewer pipes, and cause costly blockages and backups, and sewage overflows to private and public property. View a video of a FOG-clogged pipe.
Restaurants and commercial kitchens found in school, hotels, and hospitals potentially generate large volumes of fats, oils, and grease waste due to the volume of food preparation, service, and cleanup they manage. But, F.O.G generation can also come from small coffee shops, deli’s, and pizza establishments.
- Learn more about how the law affects your business
- Frequently Asked Questions about F.O.G.
Download our handy flyer for your kitchen which will help you abide by the law and keep F.O.G out of your drain (pdf). English | Spanish | Korean | Chinese | Tagalog
Backups are costly for businesses
If a sewage backup occurs at a food service business, the business must:
- Close and contact the Public Health Seattle King County to secure their approval to reopen for business
- Pay to have the blockage cleared if it is in your private side sewer
Note: If the blockage is in the public sewer but your side sewer is determined to be the source, you may have to pay the City costs to clear the blockage and property damage.
Additional Business FOG Resources
- Use our F.O.G Pretreatment Device Maintenance Log (pdf) to track your proper maintenance practices.
- Read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Grease to learn more.
- For effective, economical and practical things you can do at your business read our F.O.G Best Management Practices (pdf).
- Use our list of F.O.G. Service Providers (pdf) to find businesses to assist you in dealing with F.O.G.
Much of the information on the F.O.G website is derived from the Restaurant Grease Guidelines, authored by the Interagency Resource for Achieving Cooperation (IRAC).