Office complex grease trap reduction

This article will cover office complex grease trap reduction. Progress has brought upon so many dramatic changes to a world that started out with simple concepts. Community still remains strong as workplaces grew. Eventually, employees gathered into one dynamic convergence that makes their work-lives very pleasant and very satisfying. The simple desks and cubicles that dictated isolation to increase concentration at work are now torn down to foster better communication among departments and co-workers. Various amenities are brought in to make sure that everyone gets a chance to complete themselves as they go on with their duties. This is the milestone that office complexes have brought to the workforce.

In the midst of this positive development, the FOG (fats, oils, grease) problem remains overwhelming. And it seems that the office complex is one of the many facilities that contribute greatly to it. Because there are so many people who stay in office complexes for long hours, there has to be a steady kitchen that supplies fresh food, twenty-four seven. Because of this, the office complex kitchen is the big source of FOG overflow. Many municipalities are taking steps in order to keep the FOG crisis under control. It may seem very simple to do—maintain the pump outs and clean ups—but still, there are companies who pay large fines because of FOG overflow.

When FOG builds up too fast in the grease trap and the grease trap isn’t monitored well, the FOG spills into the wastewater that travels through wastewater lines towards its treatment facility. As the Fog cools down in the pipes, it hardens and bocks the flow of wastewater. This results to the backing up of untreated wastewater into the office complex and surrounding areas. Environmental and health problems arise because of the harmful chemicals and pathogens present in the wastewater.

As a response to the growing problem, office complex grease trap reduction needs to be fully addressed. The grease trap is installed in the kitchen area. It is responsible for collecting grease saturated grey water and wastewater. It then separates the FOG and solid waste materials from the effluent so that it could freely travel towards the wastewater treatment. When the FOG leaves the drains, it travels a significant distance towards the grease trap. By the time the FOG reached the grease trap, it’s already solidifies and just floats on the surface of the effluent. The heavy solid particles sink to the bottom of the trap.

Maintenance should be performed properly. This means adhering to the pump out schedule while making sure that efforts are made in preventing the FOG from accumulating too much. In the kitchen, the grease material should be scraped off the dishes and utensils before they are even washed. Doing so, greatly minimizes the amount of FOG that enters the grease trap. Filters can also be installed in the washers so that the FOG and solid wastes could be kept from mixing with the grey water and the rest of the wastewater.

Thorough cleaning of the grease trap these days involves the use of the bioremediation process. Bioremediation makes use of non-pathogenic or friendly bacteria that aggressively target and break down the  FOG and solid waste materials. There are several forms of bacteria can be used—bacteria blocks, bacteria pumps, liquid bacteria, and powdered bacteria. Bacteria blocks can just be tied up in the grease trap and suspended there until they dissolve. Bacteria pumps are programmed to follow time intervals in providing dosages. Liquid bacteria are simply poured into the drains to target the grease trap directly. Powdered bacteria are the most convenient because they are easy to store and ship.

The use of bacteria in office complex grease trap reduction is highly recommended. The bacteria are naturally-occurring and therefore do not have chemical discharges that pollute the surrounding water and soil systems. Bacteria also eliminate the foul sewage odors that come up our of drains because of the FOG accumulation.

In office complex grease trap reduction, it is most ideal to use bioremediation so that large fines, expensive clean ups, and overwhelming lawsuits can be avoided.