Avoid costly repair bills, "Can the Grease" this holiday season!

The Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Department (WASD) and the Permitting, Environment Regulatory Affairs Department (PERA) would like to remind you this holiday season not to dump cooking grease or oil down your kitchen drain. In doing so, you'll help protect the environment and avoid a potentially costly repair bill.

Grease and oil poured into a kitchen or other drain, even a toilet, can harden inside your home's plumbing pipes.  This can lead to a clog and sewage backing up into your home -something nobody wants at any time, let alone during the holidays.  And if the blockage in your pipes is bad enough, you may have to call someone to your home for a costly repair that can become even more expensive if it has to be done on a holiday.

To avoid this, don't empty oil or grease into your kitchen sink, even if you have a waste disposal system. Instead, pour your used grease and oil into a metal can or a heat resistant oven bag, let it cool a few minutes, and then throw it in the trash.  To further reduce the amount of grease that enters your home's pipes, be sure to scrape or wipe as much food as possible off dishes and pans before putting them to wash in the sink or dishwasher.

For more information on how you can "Can the Grease," visit us at www.miamidade.gov/wasd or www.miamidade.gov/pera.