Cooking this holiday season?

Keep fats, oils and grease out of drains

As we enter the holiday season, you may be spending more time cooking and baking delicious treats like turkey, stuffing and cookies – which could leave you with leftover fats, oils and grease. But did you know there’s a right and wrong way to dispose of these materials? 

Fats, oils and grease – such as butter, olive oil, gravy and meat fat – clog pipes if they are poured down the kitchen sink or toilet. That’s why they belong in the green bin!

Improperly disposing of fats, oils and grease can cause clogged pipes and sewer backups, which can lead to flooding your and your neighbours’ homes and possible environmental concerns.

To avoid that sticky situation, try these tips for disposing of these materials safely:

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

To learn about the City of Vaughan’s sewer system, visit vaughan.ca/wastewater.

Need help 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. For more information on waste services, visit vaughan.ca/waste.

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