Keep Holiday Cooking from Clogging Dunedin’s Pipes

Published on November 26, 2025

As we prepare for another Thanksgiving filled with family, fun, and delicious food, the City of Dunedin kindly asks all residents to help protect our homes and our sewer system by keeping FOG (fats, oils, and grease) out of the drain.

Why FOG Is a Holiday Trouble-Maker
Thanksgiving meals often involve turkey drippings, buttery dishes, and rich gravies. When these fats and oils are washed down the sink, they cool and harden inside the pipes. Over time, this leads to costly blockages, sewer backups, unpleasant odors, and preventable maintenance issues across our community.

What NOT to Pour Down the Drain
Please keep the following out of sinks and garbage disposals:
• Turkey or meat drippings
• Butter, margarine, cooking oils
• Gravy and sauces
• Food scraps
• Salad dressings
• Lard, shortening, cream-based dishes

Easy Ways to Dispose of FOG Properly
• Scrape it, can it, soak it up.
    • Wipe all pots, pans, dishes, and cooking utensils with a paper towel prior to washing.
    • Pour used cooking grease into an empty, heat-safe container, and once it has solidified, throw it in the trash. Reminder: This advice applies to typical home kitchens only. Commercial kitchens, small businesses, and high-volume cooking setups should follow appropriate commercial disposal guidelines.
    • Absorb any remaining oils and grease with a paper towel or similar absorbent material, and throw it into your garbage.
• Use sink strainers to catch solids and throw them away.
• Recycle cooking oil at the designated dump location at 816 Lake Haven Rd. Please put all recycled cooking oil in the green container located in the far-left corner near the clothes drop-off.

Let’s Keep Dunedin Flowing Smoothly
With just a few simple steps, residents can help prevent expensive repairs, protect our waterways, and keep our community running cleanly and efficiently throughout the holiday season.