Which Foods You SHOULDN'T Put Down Your Drain

Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, meaning it’s time to get cooking and baking. A big part of accomplishing all your holiday treats is using your sink and your drain. While we’re sure you’re aware you can’t put everything down your drain, there are some scraps you might not know are damaging.

To protect your home and your drains, we’re providing a list of what food you shouldn’t put down your drain.

Don’t Let These Items Go Down Your Drain

You may be wondering what makes these food items so bad for your drains. The foods listed below accumulate inside sewer pipes once enough are put down the drain, clogging up our water systems. For example, disposing of grease down the drain becomes a serious public health issue that increases clean-up costs for our community and harms our environment. That means contaminated drinking water, greasy blocked pipes in our sewers, and expensive issues.

Of course, some foods don’t cause a community-wide epidemic but clog up your own drains and create hefty bills for you to pay. Overall, avoid letting these foods slide down your drain:

• All butter products, like shortening, lard, butter, and margarine.
• Eggshells.
• Most sauces, including salad dressings and gravy.
• All milk products, including sour cream.
• Paper, cotton, and anything similar.
• Any cooking oil, no matter the type.
• Cat litter.
• Flour.
• Paint.
• Bones.
• Coffee grounds.
• Grease and any kind of fat related to meat, especially when you consider the fact that 47% of all sewer overflows happen because of grease, fat, and oils.
• Medication.
• Cleaning supplies and fluids as these will contaminate drinking water.
• Fibrous foods like potatoes and celery.
• Starches like pasta and rice.