Washing food down your kitchen sink or the garbage disposal may seem like a “no brainer” idea to you, but to your drain pipes, even the smallest food particle or tiniest bit of cooking grease can become a BIG problem. It’s true — even in their smallest “shredded” form, food and grease particles can stick to the sides of your pipe walls and build up over time. Think of it like cholesterol in our arteries — it builds up over time eventually causing a blockage. The age of your home also plays an important role; the older the drain pipe the rougher it is inside and the easier it is for food particles and cooking grease to stick to the sides and block the pipe.
The best way to prevent food and bits of cooking grease from going down your drain is to pour the grease into a container for garbage collection and use a sink strainer in both sides of the sink. Just last night, as I cleaned up after dinner, my sink strainers caught small pieces of rice, cooked egg, sautéed onions and peppers, bits of chicken and coffee grounds — all of that from just one meal! Think about the effects of washing food down the drain meal after meal, day after day. There is an easy solution, though. Skip the disposal and strain it instead! Sink strainers can be found at many discount stores for about a dollar and with daily use, they can save you a lot of money in the long run.
This article was contributed by Katherine Nixon, P.E. from the City of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities.