It’s that time of year when the air is cool and crisp, friends and family gather and the smell of roasting turkey fills homes.
But this Thanksgiving weekend, Metro Vancouver is urging residents preparing turkey dinners to dispose of leftover grease – which they’ve dubbed “the bane of Metro Vancouver’s sewer system – properly.
“Gravy, cooking oil, shortening, butter, lard or meat drippings washed down the drain bind with other materials and then harden in sewers, which can result in 'fatbergs,' clogs and sewage overflows into the environment,” said Metro Vancouver in an emailed statement.
Each year the region spends $2 million fixing clogged pipes. Hoping to prevent this, Metro Vancouver is telling residents to “Wipe it, Green Bin It,” by wiping grease up with a paper towel and putting it in the green bin instead of pouring it down the drain.
That's right, just wipe it up and toss it in the green bin.
Here’s a look at what goes into cleaning clogged pipes:
Grease in Sewers | Pipe Flushing from Metro Vancouver on Vimeo.
