Oil, the "O" in FOG (Fats, Oils, and Grease), should never be poured down your drain. FOG solidifies as it slowly trickles down your drain pipes, sticking to the sides and sticking there for good until you get rid of it. No amount of water will wash it away once it's adhered to your pipes. This accumulation can lead to serious plumbing issues over time, causing major health issues and expenses.

How Oil Affects Your Drain

Generally, oils do not solidify at room temperature, but they remain thick and adhesive. This consistency allows them to coat the sides of your pipes, leading to gradual buildup. Now imagine this combined with fats and grease, which do solidify, these three substances will accumulate along the pipe walls as they try to flow through, eventually blocking your drainage system. This can cause sewer backups, overflows, and even pipe damage. A backed-up sewer or burst pipes guarantee a messy situation, posing health risks for plants, people, and animals as well as possible contamination of clean water sources. Therefore, you should not pour oil down the drain. Additionally, this buildup can attract pests such as rodents and insects, to add further to the problem and wreak havoc on your building and the surrounding ones.

Environmental Impact

As I was saying, if the sewer backs up, it may spill over onto floors, into your yard, and onto the streets. This pollution, whether stationary or flowing, is unsanitary and contaminates everything it touches. It can seep into the ground and affect clean water systems, leading to widespread water contamination. If the overflow reaches a nearby river or body of water, it can harm aquatic life. Poor fishies! Do you know what else backed up sewer is not healthy for? Plants and soil. Also, your neighbors will be adversely affected, at the very least. If you allow your pipes to become clogged, resulting in a backup or a pipe break, you will cause significant environmental harm. Plants and animals will be impacted, and you will be highly inconveniencing or even hurting those around you. Contaminating a large body of water would require extensive cleanup efforts, all due to improper disposal of oil and grease. Furthermore, the cost and resources required for such cleanup operations are substantial, burdening local communities and governments.

Preventing Oil Clogs in Drains

It only takes a minute to grab a spatula and scrape out the grease before putting your pan in the sink, saving you from spending hours trying to clean it out yourself or money having to hire plumbers. Keep a FOG container by your sink and, after scraping, use a paper towel or grease rag to wipe out the remaining grease. Never wash food down the drain as it can get stuck in the buildup, contributing to fatbergs in the sewer system or blocking the water flow in drain pipes. Yeah, it’s pretty gross. Garbage disposals are safeguards against accidental spills, not for disposing of leftover food. So use them accordingly. If you educate your household members about proper disposal methods, it can significantly reduce the risk of clogs.

Removing Oil Clogs in Drains

For minor clogs, try home remedies like boiling water or using common household items like vinegar and baking soda. Found in most grocery stores, enzyme-based drain cleaners can also help. If these methods fail, use tools like a plunger or drain snake. Regular maintenance, such as periodically flushing your drains with hot water and a small amount of dish soap, can help prevent severe clogs from forming, but sometimes it’s not enough and you’ll need to call oil recycling professionals to scour out your pipes and then call your local plumbers as well help fix the pipes. 

Proper Oil Recycling Methods

There are many ways to dispose of oil safely, leaving no excuse for improper disposal. There are usually local recycling programs that will handle oil recycling for you. If you don't have very much oil, use a designated container to collect FOG, seal it, and then throw it away. For larger amounts, consider hiring a professional recycling company to manage the disposal. Some recycling centers offer pick-up services for used cooking oil, making it even easier to get rid of oil safely. Check with your local waste management facility to learn about the resources available in your area.

While grease and fat are more prone to solidifying and clogging your drain, oil is no saint and will contribute to the clog if poured down your drain along with them. So, if you're still wondering, "Can you pour oil down the drain?" the answer is you absolutely should not! The risks involved are too significant to ignore, and oil should be properly recycled. Thankfully, this is not too difficult a task.