WSNTG Annual Conference September 2007 Water Services National Training Group 11 th Annual Conference 6 th September 2007

WSNTG Annual Conference September 2007 Midleton FOG Project Sam Crowley B.E. (Civil) Graduate Engineer, Cork County Council M. Eng. Sc. Student Civil & Env. Eng. UCC (Prof. G. Kiely, Supervisor)

Midleton FOG Project  Town of Midleton (population 9,019) proposed by Cork County Council as a suitable location for a case study.  Midleton has a history of FOG related problems.  €68,372 spent in 2005 including cleaning of pumping stations €39,687 of this for FOG related work.  Approximately 58% of total spent on drain cleaning was FOG related.  There are 63 FOG generators in Midleton.

Midleton FOG Project  Local authority identified “FOG Hotspots” within the town.  Each FOG hotspot was analysed and potential FOG generators were visited.  The FOG problem at each site was evaluated.  CCTV surveys  Inspection of existing Grease Removal Unit (GRU)  GRU maintenance procedures investigated  Staff interviews to determine blockage history and current kitchen practices  Site survey to determine adequacy of existing systems.  Potential solutions tailored to each site were selected and installed.  Each solution is to be on trial for a minimum of 6 months.

Midleton FOG Project Total of 16 trial sites including:  4 Active Systems  8 Passive Systems (including 3 Grease trap bacteria treatment systems)  1 Portable System  1 Bacteria dosing system in a manhole  1 Aerated bacteria dosing system for a pumping station  1 Root cutting site  3 of the systems are being maintained by contractors  8 are maintained by the staff of the Food Service Establishment (FSE)

Midleton FOG Project Total of 16 trial sites including:  1 Hotel  1 Hospital  1 Fish Monger with kitchen (Fish Pies etc.)  3 Shops with hot food counters  1 Shopping centre with butcher, bakery and delicatessen  2 Fast food establishments  1 Small family restaurant  1 Butcher  1 Café with hot food kitchen  1 Manhole at a FOG hotspot (Chinese Restaurant)  1 Pumping station for a housing estate  1 Sewer in a housing estate  1 Site still to be determined

Rating of systems  Conformity to I.S. EN 1825 Standards  Performance  Effluent sample analysis  CCTV surveys (before and after)  Blockage History (before and after)  Maintenance - User Friendliness  Ease of access  Hygiene  Odours  Maintenance interval

Rating of systems  Cost  To purchase  To install  To maintain  User Satisfaction  Waste  Reliability  Contractor or in-house cleaning  Level of Confidence  The trial sites themselves are also under observation.  Willingness to maintain the system  Kitchen practices

Performance so far  Early stages of trials  Major improvements observed already  Effluent sample analysis

Performance so far Establishment Name Type of GRUResult (mg/l) HospitalPassive with Biological Dosing 74 HotelPassive with Biological Dosing 112 Fast-Food Take-away No.1 Passive120 Fast-Food Take-away No.2 Automatic187

Performance so far  Statistics being compiled regarding the waste being removed from the systems  Maintenance procedures observed and rated  Supplier/manufacturer procedures under observation  Not adhering to I.S. EN 1825 standards  One supplier withdrew system from trials  Contractor behaviour under observation

Issues arising from trials  Active/Automatic vs. Passive debate

Automatic/Active vs. Passive Systems ActivePassive Moving Parts, power, water  Volume CompactLarge Location At SourceAt or away from source Maintenance Interval 1 Day2 Weeks (depending on storage and load) Waste FOG CleanDirty, Contaminated Waste Food Not decayingDecaying Biological Dosing  Occasionally

Issues arising from trials  Active/Automatic vs. Passive debate  Disposal of waste  Cost  Traceability  Large quantities  Small quantities  Clarity  Lack of disposal records for waste FOG (both by contractors and business owners).

Issues arising from trials  Licensing  Regular policing and enforcement required  Method based consent  Lack of co-operation between different departments  Planning  Environmental Department  Environmental Health Officers  Fear of prosecution by EHO (Environmental Health Officers) leading to fear of grease traps!  New premises gaining planning permission and grease trap subsequently not being installed.

Issues arising from trials  Trade Effluent Licences awarded to establishments without thorough site investigation  Inadequate GRU’s approved  Lack of resources  Lack of records for FOG related incidents  More difficult for prosecution  Harder to compile statistics

Issues arising from trials  Incorrectly installed or situated traps.  Appliances passing through grease trap.  Traps maintained incorrectly or not at all.  Lack of knowledge of existence of GRU (Grease Removal Unit).  Forgery of grease trap maintenance records by staff to avoid doing the work.

Issues arising from trials  Poor kitchen practices negating grease trap maintenance.  Willingness to install trap but guidance not available.  Willingness to apply for discharge licence but confusion caused by application form and process.

Portable Interceptor  Similar to passive interceptor  Maintained by contractor  Unit swapped with clean unit every two weeks.  Full unit is removed from site and cleaned at contractors premises  Removes need for maintaining unit within kitchen – hygiene and odour issues

Outputs of Midleton Case Study  Better understanding of systems on the market in Ireland  Greater appreciation of all points of view  User  Supplier  Contractor

Outputs of Midleton Case Study  Greater understanding of kitchen practices  Where most FOG is generated in different types of FSE  Wok cooker, combination oven etc.  Tools for handling FOG related issues  Ireland specific FOG letters  Grease Trap Guidance sheets  Kitchen Practice Guidance sheets  Grease Trap Maintenance Record sheets

Conclusion  Disposal of waste is a significant issue which needs to be addressed  Waste stream is dramatically increasing without adequate disposal routes.  MEngSc Thesis: “Recovery of Waste FOG for use as a Biofuel in Ireland”

Acknowledgments  Noel O’Keeffe - A/County Engineer, Cork Co. Co.  Matt Shortt - WSNTG  Tadgh O’Connor -DEHLG  Shane Kennedy -Cork Co. Co.  WRc  Midleton Town Council  Cork Co. Co. Environmental Section

WSNTG Annual Conference September 2007 Water Services National Training Group 11 th Annual Conference 6 th September 2007