Biological Warfare: Plan Aims at Cutting Restaurant Gunk That Clogs Sewers

Too much greasy food may be bad for your health, but it's also bad for the health of Rockland County's sewer systems.

Local food establishments that generate waste grease and oil as part of the cooking process are required by law to maintain special collectors - "traps" - that keep that much of the material out of the sewer system. A Rockland County Legislature member has proposed a change in the law that would allow food establishments to use modern biological treatment methods to further reduce the gunk that is a threat to the sewer systems.

"Grease and oil are the natural enemy of a sewer system, narrowing pipes like plaque lining a blood vessel," said Legislator Alden H. Wolfe of Suffern, who is a lawyer with a private practice in New City. "Pretreating grease and oil lessens the negative impact on the system as a whole and should contribute to its overall efficiency.  Grease removed from a grease trap is considered hazardous waste, and breaking it down in advance reduces the volume of waste needed to be pumped, transported, processed and ultimately disposed of."

Under the current sewer law, Wolfe said establishments such as restaurants, cafeterias, centralized kitchen or dining facilities are required to maintain grease and oil interceptors to prevent excessive amounts of waste from entering the sewer system.  Establishments are required to follow a regular, documented process to maintain and clean the interceptor and remove and properly dispose of the grease.

However, Wolfe said use of biological systems or treatments are prohibited. Wolfe contends research has shown that some biological treatments break down complex grease molecules into simpler components, accelerating the degradation process that occurs naturally. 

"I want to make it very clear," said Wolfe, "that if adopted, this law would simply create an additional opportunity for food establishments, not a mandate.  For those who do opt to utilize this method, pretreatment would not be a substitute for the regular maintenance that is required by the law." 

Wolfe said he's been researching the issue of what happens with messy restaurant waste for about a year after the concept of biological treatment was raised by a constituent. He said that biological treatments are even used to help clean the walls of sewer pipes that become clogged by grease.

Wolfe said his proposal has the OK of Rockland County Sewer District No. 1, which is a county-run agency that operates sewer systems in Clarkstown and Ramapo and the county's sewage treatment plant in Orangeburg.

The proposal does not endorse any one type of biological treatment or system, Wolfe said, noting that there are a variety of methods for treating collected grease.

The county Legislature is set to conduct a public hearing on the proposal on Oct. 5 at 7:05 p.m.