Everyone in the food and restaurant industry is aware of the impact of grease traps. It helps to keep the kitchen clean and keeps kitchen grease from running down the sewer system. However, the role of this equipment and regularly cleaning them goes a long way towards protecting the local ecosystem. 

When it comes to grease trap maintenance, cleaning it a few times every year helps to keep filth out of the pubic sewers and goes a long way in protecting local wildlife. Regular cleaning also helps reduce energy usage and brings other environmental benefits. 

Let’s check out the ecological benefits of cleaning grease traps: 

1. Lowers energy consumption of the city

Irish wastewater treatment plans spend hundreds of millions of kilowatt hours of energy every year. A major chunk of that goes into separating grease from water. Advanced skimmers, filtration systems, and suction mechanisms are used to filter out grease and make the water fit for human use.     

Clean grease traps help minimize the energy usage of these treatment plants. Otherwise, even more grease would be released into the sewers and demand more energy use or completely overwhelm the infrastructure system. Higher energy use translates to higher usage of fossil fuels that release more carbon emissions into the air and raise global temperatures. 

2. Avoid expensive plumbing problems

Grease traps catch FOG (fats, oil, and grease) particles and prevent them from overflowing into the sewers. However, when they aren’t cleaned, it reduces the grease-catching capacity and may cause FOG to accumulate in the pipes and cause blockages. Plumbing blockages are very expensive to clean and demand a lot of resources. 

You may need to rely on expensive processes like hydrojetting that use a ton of water and power to clean the pipes. Preventative care can reduce resource usage and save you a lot of money. That’s why most restaurants and commercial kitchens subscribe to annual plans for a more affordable grease trap cleaning price. 

3. Minimise greenhouse gases and protect local ecosystems

When grease, oil, and fat accumulate in the grease trap, they rot and become the perfect food for bacteria and all sorts of microbes. These microorganisms feed on organic waste and release strong gases that are bad for the environment and have a terrible odour. 

The foul odour isn’t just unpleasant for your staff and restaurant but poses a major health risk by spreading diseases. On the other hand, the gases pollute the environment and disturb the local ecosystem. Hire a reputable grease trap service in Ireland to keep your grease trap free from filth and protect the environment. Delaying grease trap cleaning may even cost your restaurant license.

4. Increase production of biodiesel

When you schedule grease trap cleaning, you have two options:

• Partner with a grease trap cleaning company that gets rid of the grease 
• Or take responsibility for the waste yourself

Most decide to choose the former hassle-free option. Grease trap cleaning companies have industrial-grade equipment to carry dangerous and toxic grease to recycling centres. Here, the brown grease (burnt animal fat and vegetable oil) gets turned into biodiesel. Biodiesel is a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels since it emits fewer greenhouse gases and provides double the energy output by weight. 

5. Increased methane production

As mentioned above, grease is a superfood for bacteria. That’s why many wastewater plants are looking inward to power themselves. For instance, the residual sludge that remains after treating the water decomposes and produces methane. When kitchen grease gets added to that reservoir, it boosts methane production immensely. 

That’s why new plants are setting up contracts with local commercial kitchens to bring in FOG at regular intervals. Methane is a great fuel source that produces more energy compared to other fossil fuels and helps towards the transition to a cleaner and greener future. 

6. Reduces risk of fire

If you’ve ever worked in a commercial kitchen or tried to stir fry anything, you’re woefully aware of the risks. Kitchen grease is highly flammable and once it catches fire, it’s very difficult to put out. That’s why unclean grease traps are a fire hazard for restaurants. You must clean them out regularly to minimize grease fires. Loss of business and property isn’t great for the environment either. 

Cleaning your grease trap regularly doesn’t just help you stay on top of regulatory requirements, but helps you save a lot of money in the long run while protecting the local ecology and environment. Work with professional grease trap cleaning companies to protect your business and nature.