Sacramento, CA--The Sacramento Area Sewer District (SASD) wants to remind everyone that watching football and eating a ton of food makes for a great Thanksgiving, but putting those food scraps down your sink or garbage disposal could put a damper on your plumbing and holiday.

Common sources of FOG include leftover cooking oil or grease from meat or fatty food scraps, lard, salad dressings, creamy or oily sauces, marinades, dairy products and butter or margarine. That means that those leftover turkey scraps, buttery mashed potatoes and gravy could be a FOG backup waiting to happen.

When poured down kitchen sinks and garbage disposals, FOG - natural by-products of everyday cooking and food preparation - cools down and turns into hard clumps that stick to the insides of sewer pipes. Over time, the buildup blocks sewer pipes and can cause an ugly sewer backup or overflow into a home or neighborhood. Sewer overflows are not only bad for the environment; they can also require extensive and costly repairs for homeowners and property managers.

The Sacramento Area Sewer District wants everyone to have a happy Thanksgiving. In addition to recycling or reusing leftover cooking grease, there are a few simple steps you can follow to minimize the amount of FOG that winds up in your sewer pipes:

• Can it. After they have cooled, pour fats, oils and grease into a sturdy container, like a coffee can
• Scrape it. Before washing dishes, scrape all fats, oils and grease residuals from pots, pans and dishes
• Trash it. Put all fats, oils and grease in the garbage

For more tips about proper FOG disposal, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stoptheclog or visitwww.stoptheclog.com.

And if you have sewer problems day or night, call us at (916) 875-6730! We'll help you figure out the next step. We're available24 hours a day, seven days a week - even on holidays! For information about the District, visit www.sacsewer.com or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sacsewer.