This article will cover apartment complex building grease trap prevention. Environmental awareness is given much more attention these days. It seems that people are becoming increasingly considerate with Mother Nature because they know that if she is gone, everything will die off eventually. No one wants that to happen. So, even in the midst of progress, companies and governments are exerting much effort in making sure that their products and services are clean and green. Stricter environmental laws are being passed so as to help various states maintain the integrity of their natural resources and their health.
One product of technology and advancement is the apartment complex. This infrastructure is designed and built in areas that need to provide decent housing facilities. It is very convenient and practical for most people to live in an apartment complex. When the apartment building is full, it’s pretty much like a small vertical community. But even with such progress in residential accommodations, a price is paid. The environment and the health of everyone within an apartment complex area are negatively affected by the FOG (fats, oils, grease) crisis.
As you may already know, a grease trap is a mandatory component that’s installed in facilities that prepare and serve food. Every unit in an apartment complex has a kitchen and is all the residents prepare their meals several times a day simultaneously, then the grease trap will definitely be filled up way before its time to have it cleaned and pumped out. FOG overflow happens especially when the residents just dump everything into their kitchen sink and let the garbage disposal take care of it. What most resident aren’t aware of is that the garbage disposal unit merely grinds up solid wastes. It doesn’t change the chemical composition of the grease that passes through it. This should definitely change. There should be an effective apartment complex building grease trap prevention wherein every resident has to participate.
It’s hard to accept the fact that there is FOG overflow because of the wrong practices in the kitchen. When the grease trap overflows with FOG, the grease material incorporates itself into the wastewater. The FOG cools down and solidifies as it flows with the wastewater through the sewage pipes. Eventually, the FOG sticks to the pipe walls and blocks the wastewater from moving towards the wastewater treatment facility. The wastewater and FOG back up into the apartment complex and onto the surrounding environment. Health problems arise as pathogens infect the residents and animals in the area. Environmental problems such as pollution and eutrophication become too uncontrollable to manage. When this happens, the apartment complex managers and owners face lawsuits and pay up large amounts as fines for violating the set limit for FOG overflow.
Apartment complex building grease trap prevention should be implemented. This should involve the residents in every apartment complex. Fine filters should be installed in kitchen sinks so that any solid wastes or FOG may be caught during washing. Before washing even takes place, the grease materials and solid food particles should be scraped off the utensils and dishes, placed in a jar, sealed up, and thrown with the rest of the garbage. This would prevent a large amount of FOG from entering the grease trap.
The most important element in apartment complex building grease trap prevention is using friendly bacteria in cleaning and treating the grease trap. This process is known as bioremediation. Through this process, the FOG and the solid wastes are controlled because the bacteria aggressively degrade the solid wastes and the FOG that has accumulated in the trap. Offensive odors are also eliminated.
Various forms of bacteria can be used according to the budget and preference. Bacteria pumps deliver bacteria by the dose at different time intervals. Bacteria blocks are suspended in the grease trap until they completely dissolve. Liquid bacteria are poured into the drain and treat the grease trap directly. Powdered bacteria are preferred because they are easy to store and ship out. With the use of bacteria, apartment complex managers and owners don’t have to pay large fines or face lawsuits anymore. We hope this article helped the reader better understand apartment complex building grease trap prevention.