This article will cover cafeteria grease trap prevention. Every problem can be prevented if foresight is used most of the time. An example is when a particular state is prone to typhoons, there should already be emergency help lines, rations, warm blankets, medicine, emergency refuge centers, ready vehicles, standby rescuers, and emergency water to name a few. These preparations will help increase the survival rate of the victims and prevent hunger, sickness, and homelessness in the onset of the typhoon. Another is if the country like Japan is prone to earthquakes, the buildings should be constructed as earthquake-proof to prevent fatalities and severe injuries during an actual earthquake. Having a healthy lifestyle is also a means of prevention against diseases and the inability to study or work.
The given examples exhibit how prevention could make life much easier to manage. In cafeterias, there is also prevention that takes place. One means of prevention is refrigerating certain ingredients to prevent spoiling. Another is washing the food containers thoroughly to prevent bacterial infection. But beyond this comes a kind of prevention that would save the cafeteria, health, and environment altogether—cafeteria grease trap prevention.
Cafeteria owners have long been mandated by the government to install grease traps in their premises to help resolve the FOG (fats, oils, grease) issue. The US is becoming severely problematic about FOG and about how cafeterias contribute a huge amount of it. Cafeterias are included in the grease ordinance or the pre-treatment ordinance created to protect the wastewater treatment facilities and the sewer lines that lead to them. Every grease trap installed should have a permit, should be regularly inspected, and should be vigilantly maintained. FOG overflow often takes place in the premises of cafeterias because of lack of maintenance. This is where the FOG mixes with the wastewater and runs through the sewer lines. There, the FOG solidifies and sticks to the pipe walls, obstructing the normal flow of the wastewater. Wastewater cannot reach the wastewater treatment facility anymore so it backs up into the cafeterias, contaminating it and the surrounding environment.
Cafeteria grease trap prevention is a must-do to prevent the worsening of the FOG problem. This can be facilitated by the administration of each cafeteria. The staff could participate by manually scraping the solid wastes and grease materials and collecting them in a bin that can be sealed tight before disposing of it with the rest of the trash. The drains in the kitchen could be fitted with strainers or meshes that could catch the small bits of grease and solid wastes even before they enter the grease trap. This is a very doable practice for cafeteria grease trap prevention.
Some cafeterias use enzymes and chemicals in preventing grease formation in their traps. This is just a misleading concept because of what seems to be a very effective melting effect. The truth is that the FOG is just emulsified, making it a lot easier to combine with the untreated effluent. When the FOG reaches the sewer lines, it hardens and sticks to the pipe walls, obstructing the flow of the wastewater. Wastewater then backs up, just like when the grease trap is not well-maintained. Enzymes and chemicals just make things a lot worse for the cafeteria grease traps and for the FOG crisis.
In cafeteria grease trap prevention, bacteria should be utilized. Bacteria are very dependable and efficient in preventing grease from accumulating too much in the grease traps. They voraciously consume the FOG and the solid wastes. They do not give them time to increase in number. Bacteria also remove the disarming smells in the grease trap and prevent environmental contamination.
Bioremediation is a process that involves using non-pathogenic bacteria in transforming contaminants such as FOG into less destructive forms. Bio-augmentation uses a strain of bacteria to digest the FOG and solid materials. Investing in bacteria for cafeteria grease trap prevention is the most ideal way of making sure that the FOG crisis will no longer get much worse.