To start off, a toilet or drain is not a garbage can and should not be treated as one. Keeping this fact in mind is not only ethically and environmentally correct, but will help save you money down the road.
Too many of us, however, put all sorts of guck down our drains, not to the point that it’s a crisis, but to where it’s a concern. The “I Don’t Flush” campaign has been launched to remind folks what items should go in either our garbage cans or our green bins, to make sure fats, oils and grease (FOGs, for future reference) never get near a toilet or a kitchen drain.
Sandy Coulter heads Wastewater Operations for The City of Barrie, and tells BarrieToday some common sense when dumping would help our wastewater supply enormously.
“The City of Barrie maintains the Wastewater Collection System and Treatment Facility in good working condition to prevent any blockages or interruption to service. Our staff (is) always monitoring and maintaining infrastructure to ensure it is in good working condition. If more people stopped putting FOGs down the drain, we would be able to reduce our maintenance costs.”
Coulter suggests what steps to take instead.
“Cooling, scraping and placing FOGs in the green bin is the recommended solution. Food scraps should always go in the green bin. Try placing a small green bin under your sink. If it is close to where you do your cooking, it will become top of mind.”
Nor, Coulter insists, do cooling, scraping and placing FOGs in the green bin need to make things a more complicated situation every garbage day.
“The green bin program is designed to address the disposal of FOGs, as well as all food scraps. If people continue to put FOGs down their drain, they risk damage to their own sanitary sewer pipes, which could be costly for the homeowner.”
And if common sense – and the economy pitch – prove not enough enticement, Coulter cites the law.
“In Barrie, we have a Sewer-Use by-law, which regulates the dumping of FOGs down the drain. This by-law, along with supporting initiatives like the ‘I Don’t Flush’ campaign help to generate greater awareness of the risks associated with dumping FOGs down the drain.
“We ultimately want to keep our maintenance costs down in order to save people money, while ensuring a properly functioning Wastewater facility.”
To learn more about the campaign, click here.
