NEW ORLEANS — One of the best things about Thanksgiving is the leftovers, but there's one thing that will be left behind that you need to dispose of properly — grease.
This week, Orleans and Jefferson Parish sent out warnings that urged residents not to dump used cooking oil down the drain.
Dawn Busters Kiwanis Club Member, Stu Palermo, said they used 300 gallons of oil on Wednesday deep-frying turkeys for their annual fundraiser.
"It was delivered here to the Steel Workers Union, afterwards that’s picked up and it’s turned into biodiesel," Palermo said.
If you dispose of your oil correctly, like the Kiwanis Club, you won't need to worry, but Fitz's Plumbing Owner, Christopher Fitzmorris, said if you don't, it could lead to issues with your pipes.
“What happens is that grease as the weather changes and gets cold," Fitzmorris said. "Especially like this coming weekend, that grease will actually get hard inside of the pipe," he said. "That’s what causes a lot of the grease to back up on you. It causes your sewer to back, it can cause your kitchen sink line to back up, it can cause everything to back up.”
Not only can oil damage your home's plumbing, but Orleans and Jefferson Parish said it can harm sewer infrastructure that could lead to costly repairs, and jeopardize our environment.
"If poured down a storm drain, oil will flow into Lake Pontchartrain and bayous, decreasing oxygen levels for our valuable ecosystem," Jefferson Parish said.
Fitzmorris said to let the oil cool, bottle it up in a container, and throw it away.
Parish governments are also offering used cooking oil drop-off sites.
Orleans Parish residents can dispose of their used cooking oil at the City’s Recycling Drop-Off Center at 2829 Elysian Fields Ave on Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Starting Friday, Nov. 29 , Jefferson Parish residents can visit either the Metairie recycling site (400 David Drive, Metairie, LA 70003) or the Marrero site (6440 Lapalco Boulevard, Marrero, LA 70072) from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday to dispose of cooking oil.
Residents are allowed to dispose of 5 gallons of cooking oil per day and must present a valid driver’s license or water bill with a Jefferson Parish address, according to Jefferson Parish.
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