2012 Thanksgiving Grease Recycling Event
Join us for the 2012 Day-after-Thanksgiving Grease Collection & Recycling Event!!
Still have grease to recycle? We also have year-round grease collection sites.
Recent News and Publications
November - Your Water Connection
November - Wastewater News (2012 Day-After-Thanksgiving Grease Collection, Sewer Odors Resulting from Weather Changes)
Don't Throw Grease Down the Drain!
Ordinary kitchen cooking grease can be a real terror in the pipes beneath your home and in our sanitary sewage system. Over time grease build-up clogs pipes, reduces sewage flow, and acts as a magnet for other debris.
Eventually this build-up can clog pipes enough to result in a Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO). A SSO is the backup of raw sewage into the street, the environment, or even into your home through your sinks, showers, or toilets.
Help tame the Grease Monster who threatens our homes, schools and businesses. When cooking with grease or oil, pour the used liquid into a can for disposal. Once the hot grease has cooled, just toss it in the trash.
Wipe additional grease from pots, pans and plates with a paper towel before placing them in the sink or dishwasher.
By following these simple rules, we can tame the Grease Monster and keep him out of our pipes and our homes.
Save Our Sewers brochure - English
Save Our Sewers brochure - Spanish
Year-round grease recycling sites
Don't Let the Grease Monster Out!
Grease recycle for Thanksgiving 2012 was a big success. Residents delivered 3,705 pounds of grease to reclycling sites. Since the Day-After-Thanksgiving Grease Collection and Recycling event began in 2005, 22,058 pounds of grease have been collected and kept out of the sewers!!
Missed the event? You can drop off grease at these locations all year long.
"Be Kind to Your Sewers" Song
"Don't Pour Grease Down the Drain" (Engish)
"Don't Pour Grease Down the Drain" (Spanish)
What else should not go down the drain?
The wastewater you flush or pour into the sewer system is carried through an extensive underground network of pipes to one of Pima County's wastewater treatment facilities. At the facility, a process using living bacteria breaks down the pollutants in the wastewater. You can avoid committing SEWERCIDE (injury to the treatment process) by keeping all potentially harmful substances out of the drain.
Don't put grease, oils, fat, automotive fluids, pesticides, solvents, and other similar substances down the drain. Select less toxic alternatives whenever possible and dispose of any household hazardous materials through the County/City Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program. Wastes are collected at the Household Hazardous Waste Center at 2440 West Sweetwater Drive and at collection sites throughout the city. For information, call 520-888-6947
Don't put antifreeze down the drain. This will do absolutely nothing to protect your home's pipes in the winter.
Small Businesses can also bring hazardous wastes to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Additional information is available from the Small Business Waste Assistance Program.
Are you committing SEWERCIDE? (PDF)
What about medicines? How can I dispose of them safely?
Medicines should not be flushed, since chemicals in them can damage the wastewater treatment process and possibly end up in the environment. RWRD participates in the Dispose-a-Med Program, which runs events where you can safely dispose of unused and expired medicines.
If you cannot get to a Dispose-a-Med event, current recommendations are to grind medicines up with something like cat litter or coffee grounds to make them unusable, then throw them in the trash.
Should I flush disposable wipes?
Disposable Wipes Should Not Be Flushed! Disposable moist towelettes allow for the convenient clean up of sticky messes and are very handy during diaper changes. Another common use is to sanitize germy surfaces. Some manufacturers of disposable wipes indicate on the product’s packaging that the wipes are biodegradable and flushable. Because many of us are concerned about the environment, we want to buy products that are biodegradable; when we are told that we can safely flush a biodegradable product, it makes its use even more convenient.
Unfortunately, wipes rarely if ever biodegrade in the sanitary sewer system. However, their presence in the system can cause clogs and equipment failure in lift stations where mechanical pumps facilitate the conveyance of sewage in many areas of community. Additionally, if too many wipes accumulate in the sewer system, they can block pipes which can lead to the overflow of raw sewage into streets, buildings and the environment. When disposable wipes make it through the sewer system to a wastewater treatment facility, they are removed at the front end of the treatment plant and are taken to a landfill.
Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation asks that you do not flush disposable wipes down toilets. Instead, discard them in the trash. The proper disposal of these convenient and useful products will help keep our sewer system flowing properly, thereby ensuring the department can safely contain, convey, and treat the community’s wastewater.
Can I discharge water from my swimming pool into the sewer? How?
Yes. Effective April 1, 2008, the discharge of swimming pool water into the public sewer system is generally authorized. For detailed information, see Swimming Pool Water Discharge Procedure (revised August 1, 2009).
