City warns against dumping grease down the drain

ORLANDO, Fla. — Throwing used cooking grease down the sink is like tossing hundreds of dollars down the drain. That’s what it could cost to unclog the mess later, according to an Orlando city official who is urging residents to get into the habit of using grease recycling centers.

On Tuesday, she said city inspectors had returned from a home that had a stopped sewer after learning that city lines were clear, but the privately-owned connection was clogged with grease.

“It wasn’t pretty,” said Athena Tipaldos of the city’s water reclamation department.

The homeowner was left with the job of hiring a plumber to remove the clog. Such work can cost hundreds of dollars, she said. The photos above indicate the kind of damage from grease clogs.

Click here to see the list of locations where cooking grease can be dropped off.

A growing interest in biofuel actually has made such grease valuable. Thieves have been known to siphon cooking grease from barrels outside restaurants and sell it.