Grease, diapers, gerbils and other things that shouldn't be flushed

By Mark Hiebert, HAA Staff

The City of Houston has undertaken an effort to "Corral the Grease," a bilingual educational campaign to stop people from pouring grease down their sink drains.

Why? Well, we've noted the issue previously: It clogs drains, clogs the sewer system and it costs everyone money. Getting people to stop is a win-win for everyone, since it usually clogs the apartment's pipes before it gets to the city's pipes. By being more careful with how grease is disposed residents help protect the health of their property's drains and sewer lines, and that means they will be less likely to need the maintenance staff clear a clogged line.

The City of Houston has created a new, bilingual brochure to help residents understand the issue and you can download it here: Click here for the PDF.

What We Reported in Feburary

What should and shouldn't get put down the drain in the kitchen sink or flushed from the toilet ought to be common sense, but as almost any maintenance technician will attest, there can be some serious senselessness when it comes to toilets and drains in apartment communities.

The Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services contacted the Houston Apartment Association and asked our assistance in educating residents about proper sewer and drain etiquette. The department's Marilyn Christian said, "The thing we really want to get across to the apartment dweller is no grease down the drain and to contact apartment management the moment they see a problem with the sewer. When we are called, there are times the management was not aware of a problem till we were out there."

They want HAA member properties to help spread the word about what shouldn't be in the bowl when your residents hit the flush lever and what should and shouldn't go down the kitchen drain.

Say No to Grease

The proper place to put your waste is the trash can, not down the sink. The following are especially hard on your pipes and the municipal sewer system:

Grease - While it may be liquid when it's hot, grease quickly cools and can cause serious clogs. In the old days it was common to find a grease jar on the kitchen counter, but another solution is to have a wide-mouth glass jar into which you can pour hot grease. The safest solution is to let it cool in the pan and scrape it into the trash. Be careful: Hot grease can cause serious burns, is a fire hazard and can melt plastic. Never pour hot grease into the trash or into a container that is unable to withstand the heat.

Food - If you can't finish all the food on your plate, don't expect the sewer to finish it for you. Garbage disposers may make mush of almost anything we drop down the sink, but it's better to put the bulk of your food waste into the trash. Carrots, potatoes and broccoli stems may get broken down by the disposer, but the result that goes down the pipes is a sludge that can lead to blockages.

Kitchen waste - Food preparation can be messy - quite a bit of that mess never makes it to the cooking pot. Stems, peelings, trimmed meat, bones and all the rest of the food preparation waste is better put in the trash can rather than down the kitchen drain. The same goes for the seven-year science experiment from the back of the refrigerator.

Bathroom Behavior

Toilets are a whole other world of odd habits, bad ideas and all manner of things not discussed in polite company. These items should not be flushed down a toilet:

• Sanitary napkins
• Disposable diapers
• Tampons
• Plastic goods
• Expired pets

The Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services department has produced a helpful document that you can brand with your property or company logo and distribute to your residents. Download it now as a Microsoft Word document.