My name is Natalie, and in this blog, I am going to write about a lot of different energy practices. I plan to write about solar panels, indoor air filtration, wind farms and whatever else strikes my fancy when I'm writing. I want to focus on easy and efficient energy practices, and I hope to explain how those practices can benefit the earth. My interest in energy and the environment started when I was just a teen. I attended a camp where we studied the environment whilst also doing a lot of foraging, hiking and other things that allowed us to engage with nature. From that week onward, I've wanted to change the world and its relationship with energy. I hope this blog is just the start.
If you throw oil down the drain, it can solidify, block pipes and even cause sewers to back up. It can create problems within the plumbing at your restaurant or in sewer pipes in the surrounding area. Here are some tips on ensuring you don't create an issue with your oil:
1. Donate old fryer oil.
The fryer is the biggest source of used oil in your restaurant, and depending on how many fried items you have on the menu, you may have several litres of oil to dispose of on a regular basis. Do not throw this oil down the drain.
If you throw it out, bag it using a rubbish bag designed to avoid leaks, and then, throw it in your skip. Alternatively, contact someone in your area who is interested in biodiesel, and see if they can pick up your used cooking oil.
2. Let oil and fat solidify before throwing it away.
Once you have found a way to dispose of your cooking oil without pouring it down the drain, you need to deal with oil and fat that appears in your cooking pans. If you have fat from cooking bacon or oil from searing meat, it will be liquid when it is hot. It looks like it will just slip down the drain, and it will, but as indicated above, it will harden and block the drains eventually as it cools.
Make sure that your staff is fully educated on the dangers of pouring oil down the drain. Instead of throwing it down the drain, train them to pour it into a small container. There, it will harden, and then, you can scoop it out and pop it in the rubbish.
3. Play with anaerobic composting.
Most basic composting heaps just involve vegetables and organic materials such as leaves or coffee grounds. However, as a food professional, you may be ready to take the leap and explore anaerobic composting. It is a bit more challenging than basic composting, but it allows you to use all of the scraps you produce at your restaurant.
Anaerobic composting works perfectly with meat and oily scraps. Instead of having your staff scrape oily, butter-laden leftover food into the garbage disposal, have them scoop it into a compost bucket. At the end of the day, take it home, and add the bucket to your anaerobic compost heap.
4. Maintain your grease traps.
Regardless of how hard you try to eliminate putting oil down the drain, in a restaurant, some will inevitably sneak in there. To ensure the grease doesn't cause any lasting damage, make sure that you have a grease trap in place, and hire a professional for grease trap cleaning and maintenance as needed.
Share16 May 2016
