Many of Omni Containment Systems’ patented design solutions were created with the commercial kitchen exhaust cleaner in mind. However, Omni Containment Systems’ products have helped restaurants and food processing facilities around the world manage their grease containment. We often refer to the fire danger grease causes, but it is equally important to manage your fats and oils to prevent them from entering storm drains.

Would you know if your restaurant is causing environmental issues? Would you know if your kitchen exhaust cleaning company is causing environmental issues? Because of the advancements in technology, municipalities can coordinate their FOG (fats, oils, grease) handling regulatory compliance with web-based applications. It is important to know the environmental regulations that may apply to your business so you can better manage grease to avoid potential problems.

Are Fats, Oils, and Grease Regulated?

Nearly every city in the United States has a mandatory FOG control program with code enforcement directed toward food service establishments. It is with good reason; grease vented to kitchen exhaust hoods or grease sent down the drain can cause a destructive effect on our public sewer systems and clean water. When grease simply washes away down the drain, it doesn’t stop there. Eventually, it cools and turns solid that mixes with other solids, causing a fatberg, and municipalities are shouldering the burden of clearing these gross grease giants.

Regulate Your Kitchen Exhaust Fan Discharge

The good news is that with regular preventative maintenance, you can safeguard your business and our waterways. If you ignore your fans’ grease collection systems, grease will eventually drain onto your rooftop. Once it gets onto the rooftop, it will wash into the rain gutters and down into the storm sewer. Grease can also flow down the side of the building into a parking lot and storm sewer. Grease that enters the storm sewers can make its way to the nearest stream where it can discolor the water, kill fish, and plants, and cause an odor.

Regulate Disposal of Wash Water

For kitchen exhaust cleaning professionals and restaurants, washwater from cleaning equipment can also cause environmental problems if allowed to enter a storm drain. Care must be taken when washing your exhaust system, filters, and storage containers. In addition to grease, chemicals are added into the mix; this washwater combination can cause serious problems in streams, lakes, ponds, and other waters. That is why you need to partner with a reputable kitchen exhaust cleaning company. There should never be cleaning of filters in prohibited areas that allow grease to enter storm sewers or cause excess grease in grease traps.

This may seem overwhelming, but there are several resources available to help with compliance. A reputable kitchen exhaust cleaner, your local AHJ, and your local wastewater treatment plant can provide further information on your specific location. Omni Containment Systems’ products can also help manage your fats, oils, and grease. Here are our top products that help your facility keep fats, oils, and grease out of streams:

  1. Rooftop Grease Containment

Omni Containment Systems designs rooftop grease containment systems that feature Off-the-Roof Protection. Each containment system defends your rooftop from grease and will not hide grease under layers of filters that sit on top of your roof. We carry five distinct rooftop grease containment systems. Each are designed with specific restaurant circumstances in mind, making sure that the proper solution is available and affordable for any grease containment need. All of our grease containment systems allow rainwater to pass through while absorbing all the grease output from the fan. This is achieved by using our hydrophobic filters.

  1. Hydrophobic Absorbent Filters

All Omni products are designed and built with our environment in mind. We are proud of our hydrophobic filter technology that is utilized in the Grease Gutter, the Grease Gutter Sidekick, and the Grease Box. The Omni hydrophobic filter is made of biodegradable and recycled materials, meaning it will not sit in a landfill for the remainder of its life. It can also become 100% fully saturated with grease, leaving no extra room for water or an unsaturated filter. The filter meets EPA Storm Water Management requirements by absorbing all grease output and no water. Make sure to have your filters changed regularly to keep your rooftop safe and compliant.

  1. Protect Your Parking Lot

Commercial restaurants can also cause environmental problems around grease dumpster areas. Professional cleaners also need to take special care when cleaning grease dumpster areas to deter fats, oils, and grease from entering the stormwater drain. These areas are susceptible to dangerous grease spills that are often laden with garbage and other caustic pollutants. Omni Containment has your FOG solution, the Lane Guard. If you do not have a Lane Guard, it can lead to grease being dispersed all over your pavement and, if ignored, these grease particles will enter the stormwater system. This is just one of the top four reasons to choose a Lane Guard.

When you invest in the Omni brand of solutions, you are not only safeguarding your investment from fire, but you also are protecting against stormwater pollution in our environment. Contact our team today to learn more about how we can protect your commercial kitchen.