The Family-friendly animated video provides tips to defend drains from clogs this holiday season.

Illinois American Water is sharing an animated public service video reminding customers to properly dispose of fats, oils and grease (FOG) this holiday season. Properly disposing of FOG can help prevent clogs in household plumbing and sewer lines. The video features ugly sweater-wearing characters Fats, Oil, and Grease as uninvited holiday party guests who threaten to wreak havoc on pipes.

“The animated video is a fun way to draw attention to a serious issue,” said Illinois American Water President Rebecca Losli. “We hope this educational video helps customers avoid home plumbing issues as well as decrease impact to critical community sewer systems.”

Illinois American Water reminds customers that, if poured down the drain, fats, oils and grease can stick to the inside of pipes and cause buildups that can clog pipes or lead to sewer overflows. Taking these easy steps to avoid FOG clogs will help protect pipes and watersheds:

• Never pour grease into sinks, toilets or down drains. Garbage disposals do not prevent grease clogs, and detergents that claim to dissolve grease may cause problems in other parts of the sewer system.
• Allow grease to cool and use a rubber scraper to remove fat, oil and grease from cookware, plates, utensils and cooking surfaces. Once cooled, place the grease in a sealed container and dispose of it in the trash.
• Install a strainer in your kitchen sink to catch scraps and empty them into the garbage.

Also, avoid flushing wipes, even those labeled flushable or biodegradable, and paper towels down the toilet. These can cause major problems for wastewater systems. Always trash, never flush! Customers can find more wastewater tips, including Things That Should Never Go Down Your Drain, at www.illinoisamwater.com under Water and Wastewater Information. Click on Wastewater Service.

About Illinois American Water – Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,400 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and regulated-like drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people in 24 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and diversityataw.com. Follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

ILLINOIS AMERICAN WATER WAS RANKED HIGHEST IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH LARGE WATER UTILITIES IN THE MIDWEST THREE YEARS IN A ROW!

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