Why you shouldn't put cooking grease down the drain - and what to do with it instead

It's true that behind every delicious meal is a hardworking cook - and also a big pile of dishes that need washing.

After the plates have been cleared and the family has been fed, it's tempting to glare at that greasy frying pan and think about just rinsing that nasty oil off into the drain. What's the worst that could happen?

Well, probably nothing too terrible, at least not immediately. But that oil doesn't break down in the water. It will build up in the drain, eventually binding together and solidifying into a solid mass that can cause the entire pipe to clog. Then you'll be stuck with a smelly, soggy situation you'll probably wish you had avoided.

It's a widespread problem. Nearly half of sewer overflows in the U.S. and the U.K. have been associated with deposits of fats and grease, according to one study from the Journal of Oleo Science.

In fact, so much fat and oil has been pouring into sewers around the world that huge congealed masses of fat, grease and trash called 'fatbergs' have been causing havoc. One massive blob in London weighed more than a whale. Another was blamed for the backup and discharge of 1 million gallons of sewage into a waterway in Baltimore.

Here are other things you can do with that grease beside washing it down the sink.

You can eliminate a lot of grease just by deciding to use less oil, or by switching to other cooking methods like baking and roasting. You can also try buying leaner cuts of meat.

Sometimes you can filter and re-use cooking oil, especially oil used for deep drying.

Otherwise, try to soak up as much of the oil as possible with a paper towel, and throw it in the trash before washing the pot with soap and water. If it's a fat that will harden, let it do so and then scrape it out and toss it in the trash.

But you can also recycle it. Wait for the grease to cool, then pour it (carefully) into an empty jar or other container. You can then take it to a grease recycling collection site.

There's a major grease and pharmaceutical recycling event on Saturday, Jan. 13. at the Columbus Public Library on Macon Road from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is sponsored by Columbus Water Works, the Keep Columbus Beautiful Commission and the Muscogee County Sheriff's Office.

But if you miss that event, there are eight other collection sites across the city. Here they are:

• John Rigdon Park at 6800 Psalmond Road
• Corner of Buena Vista Road and Higgs Drive
• Corner of Lindsay Drive and Glenwood Drive
• Corner of 45th Street and 2nd Avenue
• South Commons CSO (Lumpkin Boulevard, behind the Civic Center)
• Frank Chester Park at 1441 Benning Road
• 1355 Alexander Street, near the entrance of the Columbus Water Works service center
• 3001 South Lumpkin Road, though the entrance gate of the South Columbus Water Resources Facility

This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Why you shouldn't put cooking grease down the drain - and what to do with it instead."