Grease traps are an important part of any commercial kitchen, helping to prevent blockages in the drainage system caused by fats, oil and grease (FOG). To ensure your grease traps work reliably and effectively, there are steps you and your staff need to take.
Why do you need a grease trap?
It may not be the most pleasant subject, but FOG can cause significant problems when it enters the drainage system. These substances mix with water, food and waste items before congealing in the pipes, resulting in ‘fatbergs’! Grease traps are plumbing devices that filter the FOG out of the wastewater, preventing much of it reaching the drainage system.
In addition to the environmental implications, there are legal requirements relating to the installation and use of grease traps by businesses that prepare hot food. These are stipulated under food hygiene, food safety, water and environmental laws, and by the British Building Regulations.
What action should you take to maximise performance?
As you can see, grease traps for commercial kitchens are important pieces of equipment; however, just having them is not enough! It is crucial that you and your staff take action to keep your grease traps performing optimally.
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The first thing to do is to train all staff in best practice, such as ensuring as much waste food and FOG as possible ends up in the correct waste receptacle rather than down the sink and to never allow oils to be poured down the drain. You can also reduce waste by only using the amount of FOG you need.
It is important to clean your grease traps out regularly, and any sink strainers and standpipes. You could also consider using a liquid fat digester, which can reduce the burden of manual cleaning. Make sure you keep up-to-date maintenance records available for inspection.
If you purchased your grease traps from a leading supplier, such as https://www.ukgreasetrapsdirect.co.uk/, you can take advantage of their aftercare services to make sure you are doing all you can to keep them functioning properly.
FOG blockages are a significant issue and one that water companies and enforcement agencies are keen to minimise. If you own or manage a business with a catering function, it is important that you reduce the amount of waste FOG entering the drainage system.
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