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VERIFY: Don't put it down the drain! Here's what to do with leftover grease and fat from cooking

Social media posts claim putting cooking grease or fat down your drain can clog it. And the experts agree. Here's how they recommend disposing of the leftovers.

WASHINGTON — The Verify team is sorting fact from fiction, including claims about the holiday season.

While we can't verify the best way to cook a turkey this Thanksgiving, we can fact-check one claim that's going around social media about the grease the turkey leaves behind.

Some users claim you'll clog your kitchen pipes if you dump cooking grease down your drain.

User @DaddyWisdom3 tweeted, "Don't dispose of cooking grease down the sink, unless you want a fatberger-blocked drain in your future."

@The_Myvia wrote, "I've always known to never pour grease or oil down the drain, so my family always kept jars to store it and eventually toss in the trash."

RELATED: PPE, disinfectant wipes are clogging up D.C. toilets. Stop flushing them.

Can cooking grease and fat really clog your kitchen pipes and drain?

ANSWER:

We can verify this claim is true, grease and fat can clog your kitchen pipes and drains. 

Here's what experts recommend doing instead.

SOURCES:

Cottrell said the grease can build up on the walls of the drains and pipes causing them to clog.

He said it’s hard to get the grease and fat out once it’s in there, and you’ll likely need to pay a plumber to clean out your drains once that happens.

RELATED: How health experts recommend reducing COVID-19 risk over Thanksgiving

WSSC Water agreed. The utility said the best way to dispose of fats, oils, or grease is to put it in a disposable container, let it cool down, then toss it in the trash later.

So we can Verify that you shouldn’t put your turkey grease down the drain this Thanksgiving, it can clog your pipes.

If you have something you want Verified, send us an email at verify@wusa9.com or text us at (202) 895-5599, or leave it below.

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