Casper issues reminder to avoid sewer backups this holiday season

CASPER, Wyo. — The City of Casper is reminding residents of the harms caused by putting fats, oils and grease down their drains.

Just a little bit of a fat, oil or grease — collectively referred to as a FOG — can cause serious damage to personal and public sewer lines.

“We have responded to four sewer backups this year caused by FOGs,” chief operating officer Tom Brauer said. “These are always unpleasant and costly to impacted residents and the city.”

Brauer said sewer backups caused by FOGs are often preventable. The city is urging residents to remember three steps: cool, contain and trash FOGs.

• Cool: Give FOGs in their liquid form time to cool to avoid melting containers or causing burns.
• Contain: Dispose of FOGs in a container that can be sealed, such as glass jars, deli meat containers or any solid receptacle with a lid.
• Trash: Toss the FOG-filled container in a trash can.

Frequently used FOGs include butter, lard, cream-based sauces, fat trimmings from meat, gravy, pan drippings from roasted meats, butter-based sauce leftovers and common cooking oils like olive, vegetable and canola oils.

A full list of FOGs can be found online here.