FOG control

City law requires businesses that generate wastewater containing FOG to take part in our FOG control program.

These businesses include:

• Food service establishments, such as restaurants
• Other industrial or commercial establishments that generate FOG wastewater

Read City ordinance 511.300

Work with us

We want to work with you to:

• Prevent FOG problems
• Keep the community’s sewer system running properly

Information and rules about FOG control

• City of Minneapolis FOG code
• Grease Interceptors to control FOG - Key Minimum Code Requirements 
• Metropolitan Council waste discharge rules
• National Restaurant Association FOG control information

Cooking oil

Extend the life of your cooking oil. To do this, you can:

• Strain or filter oil in deep fryers
• Control the temperature of deep fryers, which prevents oil from scorching

Recycle cooking oils and leftover grease into a storage container such as a:

• Barrel
• Bucket

Teach staff to use less fat, oil and grease when making food.

Cleanup

Remove FOG and food waste from pans before using water. Dry cleanup methods reduce water consumption and save money. Examples:

• Use rubber scrapers to remove FOG from cookware.
• Use absorbent paper to soak up FOG under fryer baskets.
• Use paper towels to wipe down work areas. (Do not use cloth towels. They accumulate grease that will eventually end up in your drains when washing.)

Minimize the use of dish soap when washing dishes. Dish soap:

• Emulsifies FOG and enables it to pass through a grease interceptor
• Will later coagulate in sewer lines

Do not use your garbage disposal to grind up FOG and flush it down the drain.

Grease traps

Remember that grease is valuable. Grease and oil can be recycled into other useful products. Search the internet for “grease traps” or “greases” to find:

• Grease collection companies
• Grease trap service providers

Maintain your grease trap.

• Many restaurants have a grease trap installed in the kitchen.
• To keep your grease trap working properly, get it cleaned according to the manufacturer’s specifications.
• Grease traps should not be more than 25% filled to operate properly.