Business Spotlight
FilterShine Central Valley's impact on reducing pollution in California!
Shining a Business Spotlight on FilterShine Central Valley
By Josie Van Hooser
FilterShine Central Valley puts a safer and much more effective spin on a common task in the food industry: Grease Filter cleaning. The task seems simple enough. Grab a stepstool, reach above the stovetop, remove the grease filters and clean them one of three ways: In the sink, the dishwasher, or outside with a pressure washer. That plan sounds fine and dandy, but that is until you realize the consequences of those methods.
The immediate consequence is the damage the built-up grease will do to your plumbing system and dishwashers. Let's say you clean the filters with a degreaser. Most commercially sold degreasers are made with sodium hydroxide, which is also lye, so when you pair that with the fat of the grease you're cleaning, all you're making is a corrosive soap. This soap sticks to your plumbing, grease traps, and city sewage system, eroding the infrastructure overtime. On top of that, the grease mix is going down your drain and slowly, but surely, clogging up your pipes which is a pricey problem waiting to happen.
Say you clean them outside with a pressure washer. Not only are the filters not receiving a deep clean, but the same grease and degreaser is going down the drain, into our stormwater drainage system which is then recycled into the water we drink or ends up into our environment, like streams, rivers, and ponds. This brings us to our next issue: F.O.G. (Fats, Oils, Grease).
It's likely you have received a flyer in the mail about the importance of tossing grease correctly. According to the EPA's report to Congress on combined sewer overflows and sanitary sewer overflows it has been identified that "grease from restaurants, homes, and industrial sources are the most common cause (47%) of reported blockages. Grease is
problematic because it solidifies, reduces conveyance capacity, and blocks flow." (See Impacts and Controls of CSOs and SSOS, EPA-833-R-04 001, August 2004.) The lye created from traditional grease filter degreasers is the cause of the report above and a problem that, we, the taxpayers must pay for. Who knew cleaning grease filters could be so problematic? The great thing is that it doesn't have to be that way! In comes FilterShine Central Valley to save the day! FilterShine Central Valley offers a grease filter exchange program that will make certain that not only do you have the shiniest grease filters in town, but also the safest that will help prevent you from additional fire hazards.
When you go through FilterShine, their technicians, who are super quick and in and out within minutes, will remove your filters and replace them with new FilterShine filters, and continue to do so on a set schedule for you. As an added bonus, FilterShine will then take your original dirty filters and clean them in their facility with a proprietary cleaning blend, and once properly cleaned, they will return them for you to have in storage. The additional benefits to their services include no water usage, reduced degreaser costs, 70% of grease eliminated from going down the drain/ grease interceptor. Their service also reduces costly plumbing expenses, meets compliance needs, and keeps employees happy.
FilterShine Central Valley currently services approximately 280 restaurants/food service facilities across the valley. FilterShine conducted a study on the amount of grease being collected through the grease filter exchange program. For each of the facilities, an average of 198 pounds of grease per year, per facility is collected in grease filters. This equals a total of 55,440 pounds of grease each year that is being prevented from entering grease traps, our waterways, stormwater drains, lift stations and wastewater treatment plants. On top of the factual information, the before and after pictures are worth a thousand words on the benefit of FilterShine Central Valley's services.
A Grease Filter exchange program is a BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE that meets all the requirements and provides all the benefits listed above in a F.O.G. Control Program.
