Sudbury offers residents cardboard cups to collect fats, oils, grease

The City of Greater Sudbury is asking people to stop putting sloppy, greasy substances down the sink or in the toilet.

Instead, the city is providing a container called a FOG bucket — for fats, oils and grease.

The supervisor of Water Distribution and Wastewater Collection says diverting greasy matter from the sewer will save the city money and prevent back-ups into homes.

"If it doesn't come out of your body, and it's not toilet paper, it probably shouldn't be going down the toilet," Cheryl Beam said.

"It's causing extra expenses in the removal and maintenance processes of our sanitary sewer system and our wastewater treatment plants."

Sudbury city workers vacuum grease out of the sewage system

9 years ago

Duration 0:35

Sudbury city workers vacuum grease out of the sewage system

Beam said she is disgusted by the fatty build-up she sees in the sewer. It turns into a smelly, thick, grey sludge that can build up in mains. A vacuum truck uses a pressure washer to loosen it, and a giant nozzle sucks it all up into a tank. Then the greasy matter is trucked to a sewage lagoon.

"There's a whole lot of stuff down there that shouldn't be down there — from grease to all kinds of yucky stuff, mushy, stinky," she said. "It's gross."

Fatty items like gravy, salad dressings and bacon grease can now be poured into these containers.

The containers can be picked up, free of charge at Tom Davies Square and libraries around the city. Once full, put them in the garbage — or remove the plastic top and toss in the compost.

Looking for fats, oils and grease clogging up the sewage system in Sudbury

9 years ago

Duration 0:33

Looking for fats, oils and grease clogging up the sewage system in Sudbury