Trap It! Trash It! Strain It! - Commercial FOG

Improper disposal of FOG (Fats, Oils, and Grease) from commercial and institutional kitchens can not only be hazardous to the health of kitchen staff but can also pose a threat to both the environment and your business.

Currently, Edmonton’s sewers suffer approximately 200 blockages per year causing potential environmental health hazards.

The City of Edmonton Sewers Use Bylaw No. 9675 requires all commercial and institutional food facilities to dispose of FOG properly.

What happens if FOG is NOT disposed of properly:

  • Leads to an unclean kitchen
  • Creates an unsafe working area where slippery floors may cause unnecessary falls
  • Generates a chance of wastewater backup and overflow
  • Attracts insects
  • Poses serious health risk, and
  • Runs the risk of jeopardizing the business licence

The video shows what would happen if FOG is not disposed of and treated properly.

How to manage kitchen FOG:

  • Use grease traps properly:
    • Use an interceptor (grease trap) to collect and prevent FOG from entering the sewer system.

      The City of Edmonton Sewers Bylaw No. 9425 requires all commercial and Institutional food facilities to install and maintain a proper interceptor on all plumbing fixtures that could discharge FOG.

      The diagram below illustrates how discharge pipes from kitchen appliances connect to a common interceptor:

  • Clean grease traps regularly: When FOG and solids occupy a maximum of 25% of the interceptor’s liquid depth, it’s time to clean up.
  • Train staff to stop FOG from going down the drain:


Trap FOG with paper towels and dispose of them into the garbage before washing and rinsing.

Trash solid foods such as leftovers from a plate, coffee grounds and tea leaves into the garbage.

Strain the drain by placing a strainer in the sink.

  • Keep a clean, FOG-free kitchen:
    • Remove all solid grease build-ups from processing equipment.
    • Pour oily and greasy water down a drain equipped with a grease interceptor.
    • Connect floor drains to a grease interceptor.
    • Use and dispose of any cleaning products according to instructions found on the bottles.
    • Regularly clean and maintain the Grease Interceptor to make sure it is in good condition.
  • Mark down the information such as date of service, who cleaned the unit, who witness, volume pumped, where to dispose, and remarks on a Grease Interceptor Cleaning Record log.

The FOG brochures available in English, Chinese and Spanish provide detailed information about how to manage kitchen FOG in the proper way.

City of Edmonton Logo

Copyright © 2012, City of Edmonton.