3 Key Tips to Getting More Out Of Your Restaurant Grease Trap

Setting up and running a restaurant brings with it a plethora of activities, some of which are not remotely food-related, for example – writing a business plan, obtaining funding, choosing a location, leasing a commercial space, applying for a number of restaurant permits and licences, selecting equipment, suppliers, furniture, staff…and the list goes on!

Some of the less exciting of the decisions to be made may include toilets, trade waste and something known as a grease trap. Put simply, all commercial kitchens including restaurants, cafes and fast-food outlets must have a grease trap installed.

A grease trap, also known as a grease interceptor, is a plumbing device/trap designed to intercept most fats, oils and greases (FOGs) before they enter a sewer system or wastewater treatment plant.

So you think you know all about grease traps? What now?

Hopefully as part of your research prior to installing, you got your local council’s environmental team involved. They’re a key resource helping to ensure that you put the correct equipment and systems in place to make your restaurant kitchen and greater premises work well from an environmental perspective, and they’re a wealth of information about what your local water authority will require. This is important as knowing about the frequency to empty your grease trap, and adhering to this agreement, can help you to avoid substantial fines from the water authority. And obviously, correct installation of a grease trap to best match your needs up-front is key!

What can you do to make your grease trap last as long as possible?

1. Eliminate solid food from reaching the grease trap:
   1. these solids can be disposed of via rubbish bins with other solid waste, and even leftover grease or oil can be wiped from a plate or pan with paper towel and disposed of with other solids
2. Effective management of your kitchen’s grease output:
   1. have processes in place to ensure that employees do not simply drain any grease or oil down sinks
   2. install in-sink strainers
   3. wipe excess grease, fats and oils off dishes, pots and pans before cleaning dishes
3. Regular cleaning of the grease trap

Waste removal professionals will need to conduct the cleaning of your grease trap. This is a specialist process and cannot be done by restaurant workers themselves. In addition to cleaning, reputable waste removal businesses, like us, can offer extra services such as:

• Washing and scraping of walls and baffles
• Inlet and outlet point inspections
• Reporting and repair of faulty grease traps
• Waste tracking documentation from source to disposal
• Transportation to an EPA compliant treatment facility