Contain it; don’t drain it!

Protect your pipes by putting fats, oils and grease in the green bin

While you may be cooking up a storm this holiday weekend, keep in mind that fats, oils and grease, such as butter, olive oil, gravy and meat fat, clog pipes. That’s why you should never pour these substances down the drain or toilet. They belong in the green bin!

Properly disposing of fats, oils and grease can help prevent clogged pipes and sewer backups from flooding yours and your neighbours’ homes and polluting the environment!

Help protect our sewer system by following these safe disposal tips from the City of Vaughan:

• Let fats, oils and grease cool, then scrape them into the green bin.
  • Leave the liquid in the pan or pour it into a container, such as a can or bowl, to cool, then empty it into the green bin.
• Before washing pots, pans and dirty dishes, wait for fats, oils and grease to harden. Then, wipe the substance with a paper towel or scrape it into the green bin.
• You can also drop off leftover cooking oils in a tightly sealed container, no more than four litres in size, at a York Region waste depot for safe disposal. The Vaughan location is at 130 McCleary Crt. Visit york.ca/WasteDepots for hours of operation and more details.

For information on the City’s sewer system, visit vaughan.ca/wastewater.

Need help safely disposing of other materials? Use the City’s online ‘What Goes Where?’ sorting tool so you can quickly and easily check where a waste item belongs. You can also download the Recycle Coach app through the Apple App Store or Google Play to check where waste items belong. The app provides waste-less tips and a personalized collection schedule with optional alerts on what to set at the curb each week. For more information on waste services, visit vaughan.ca/waste.

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