The kitchen, as a hub of daily activity, offers numerous opportunities to reduce water usage and keep fats, oils and grease out of the drain without compromising cleanliness or convenience. You can make a meaningful impact if you think at the sink and adopt a few simple habits.
The Impacts of Grease in Pipes
Every time we use water to wash dishes, cook, or clean, that same water becomes wastewater and heads down the drain. When it comes to cleaning up after cooking, many people make a common mistake: pouring grease or cooking oil down the kitchen sink. It might seem harmless if you rinse it down the drain with hot water or soap, but there is no “okay” way to send grease down the drain. As the fats cool, they congeal and cling to the inside of pipes, eventually forming thick blockages. These greasy build-ups restrict flows and lead to costly clogs—not just in your home, but throughout the municipal sewer system and your septic system. Even oils that remain liquid at room temperature, like vegetable or olive oil, shouldn’t be poured down the drain. Over time, they coat pipes and contribute to the same problems as solid fats. The best practice is to keep all types of cooking fats and oils out of your plumbing.
The Right Way to Dispose of Fats, Oils and Grease
- Wipe, don’t rinse: Use a spatula or paper towel to scrape plates into the kitchen scraps bin or garbage before washing.
- Cool it, Scrape it, Can it: Pour larger amounts of used oil into a container, let it solidify, then put into organics or the garbage
- Recycle it: Liquid cooking oil (up to 10 litres) can be taken to a depot for recycling.
Even with advanced wastewater treatment, what you put down the drain matters! Fats that make it through to the ocean can deplete oxygen, damaging fish and other organisms that inhabit the environment.
Learn more about proper disposal of fats, oils and grease at www.crd.ca/fats.
Why Your Water Use Habits Matter
The winter rainfall captured in the Sooke Lake Reservoir and smaller local water sources in the Electoral Areas must last through the region’s dry summer months. Our region relies on this water for drinking, protection against wildfire events and droughts, watering food plants and supporting vital habitats for many endangered species.
Turning off the tap, running full loads in the dishwasher, and catching rinse water to reuse all add up. Whether you're cooking, cleaning, or just grabbing a glass of water, these simple habits can help you conserve.
- Use your dishwasher wisely: Running the dishwasher only when it's full can eliminate one load of dishes per week and save the average family over 1000 liters of water annually.
- Turn off the tap: Letting your kitchen faucet run for five minutes while washing dishes can waste up to 38 liters of water. Run taps only when needed and stop the flow when you're done.
- Fix leaks: Catch them quick and fix them early; a leaky tap can waste lots of water.
- Keep it cold: Instead of running the tap until the water turns cold, keep a jug of drinking water in the fridge.
- Reuse your rinses: When washing things like fruits and veggies, use a bowl to catch the water and reuse that water for plants.
Learn more about conserving water at home at www.crd.ca/water.
