Free Used Cooking Oil Pickup in Orange County

Who regulates grease from your kitchen

What inspectors expect from a Orange County restaurant

1. 1

   Hold a FOG wastewater discharge permitOC San FOG Ordinance No. OCSD-25

   Under the countywide model ordinance, every food service establishment needs a FOG wastewater discharge permit to send wastewater to the sewer. Only limited food preparation, meaning reheating, hot holding, or assembling ready-to-eat food, is exempt. Your permit comes from your city or sanitary district, and some cities charge an annual fee. Source: OC San Core Elements of the FOG Ordinance (PDF)

2. 2

   Keep waste cooking oil out of the drainOC San FOG Ordinance No. OCSD-25

   Pouring used cooking oil into drainage pipes is prohibited. All waste cooking oil must be collected and stored in proper receptacles, such as barrels or drums, for recycling or another approved disposal method. A locked bin behind the kitchen satisfies this; the floor sink does not. Source: OC San Core Elements of the FOG Ordinance (PDF)

3. 3

   Send the oil out through a licensed haulerOC San FOG Ordinance No. OCSD-25

   The required kitchen best management practices say waste cooking oil may only be disposed of through licensed wastehaulers or an approved recycling facility. A handshake deal with an unlicensed collector does not count, and it exposes the restaurant when records are checked. Source: OC San Core Elements of the FOG Ordinance (PDF)

4. 4

   Service the grease interceptor on the 25 percent ruleOC San FOG Ordinance No. OCSD-25

   Grease interceptors must be pumped before combined FOG and solids reach 25 percent of the tank's design hydraulic depth, and serviced at least every six months regardless. Quarterly full pump-outs apply until a site-specific frequency is established. Keep the service receipts; they are part of your record set. Source: OC San Core Elements of the FOG Ordinance (PDF)

5. 5

   Keep two years of FOG recordsOC San FOG Ordinance No. OCSD-25

   Food service establishments must keep at least two years of records and produce them on request: BMP logbooks, interceptor cleaning logs, employee training records, and copies of wastehauling manifests. Missing manifests are the most common gap, since they depend on the hauler actually providing them. Source: OC San Core Elements of the FOG Ordinance (PDF)

6. 6

   Train kitchen staff twice a year, on paperOC San FOG Ordinance No. OCSD-25

   Employees must receive documented FOG training twice each calendar year, with signed attendance records kept for inspectors. Training covers keeping grease out of drains and putting oils into a grease receptacle such as a barrel or drum. A sign-in sheet with dates and signatures is enough, but it must exist. Source: OC San Core Elements of the FOG Ordinance (PDF)

7. 7

   Use only a CDFA-registered grease transporterCA Food & Agricultural Code 19310-19317

   It is illegal in California to haul used cooking oil, legally inedible kitchen grease, without CDFA registration, and no renderer or collection center may accept oil from an unregistered transporter. Verify any hauler on CDFA's public transporter registry before letting them touch your bin. Source: CDFA Rendering Program FAQ

8. 8

   Keep the manifest receipt from every pickup3 CCR 1180.24; FAC 19313.1, 19316.5

   The transporter must complete a manifest for each pickup and give you a receipt documenting the grease removed, at pickup or within 45 calendar days. Transporters and receiving facilities keep copies for two years, and your copy is the proof of lawful disposal your FOG inspector asks for. Source: CDFA IKG Manifest Information Sheet (PDF)

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