Getting at the CORE of Brunswick's Sewer Infrastructure

April 1, 2018
H2GO's FOG recycling program helps customers keep harmful food waste out of pipes.
H2GO's FOG recycling program helps customers keep harmful food waste out of pipes

By Tyler Wittkofsky

In 2015, Brunswick (N.C.) Regional Water and Sewer (H2GO) recognized a growing environmental and infrastructure problem: sewers were beginning to become filled with fats, oils and grease (FOG). FOG creates major problems in our community sewer systems, which can lead to problems within homeowners' plumbing and home sewer systems. A lack of sustainable disposal solutions to Brunswick's FOG problem ultimately led to the creation of the Cooking Oil Recycling Effort (CORE).

CORE collection containers at the end of the month.

In early 2015, H2GO Executive Director Bob Walker attended a water conference in Louisville, Ky., with the sewer system problem looming in the back of his head. During a presentation from an Alabama utility that discussed how they were handling their growing FOG problem, the gears in his head instantly began turning. "There are no new ideas," he said, "just ones that we improve upon." When he got back to H2GO's office in Leland, N.C., he began working on ways to improve upon the presentation he saw in Louisville, and CORE was born.

The CORE program enables homeowners to collect grease in a container from one of H2GO's collection sites instead of pouring it down their drains. Homeowners can then return the container to the collection site, where H2GO will properly dispose of it to be recycled into biofuels.

In the early days of the program, there was only one spot in the county where residents could drop off their FOG and it was a hefty 30- to 45-minute drive from the community H2GO served. Walker knew the first step would be to establish several convenient drop-off locations in the service area, none of which could be more than 10 minutes from any part of the community.

Convincing businesses and property owners to allow H2GO to put up metal lockers where people could leave leftover FOG was the project's first hurdle. Some businesses were hesitant, thinking that it would bring an unattractive appearance to their parking lot or leave an unpleasant smell. All efforts were made to let community members know that the smell would be null, the appearance would be minimalistic and the benefit would be astronomical.

Once the CORE locations were found, H2GO then had to figure out how to collect the grease. Of course, the community could put the fats, oils and grease in their own containers, but what about those who could not afford their own containers? H2GO purchased 1,000 white plastic CORE containers to give the community an easy, mess-free way to bring their FOG to the drop-off locations. Stations were labeled with simple instructions for homeowners to follow when collecting FOG: Cool it, store it, recycle it.

CORE collection site at H2GO's home office in Leland, N.C.

The final step was to decide what H2GO would do with the fats, oils and grease after it was dropped off at a CORE collection site. Walker found a local biofuel company and struck a deal with them to collect all of the FOG to produce locally-­sourced biofuels. The long-term vision, though, is that H2GO will be able to keep enough FOG out of the sewer system through the CORE program so that it can produce its own biofuels and use them to fuel H2GO's vehicle fleet.

This step was perhaps one of the most important. By helping a local company produce environmentally-friendly biofuel and eventually being able to power its vehicle fleet from the same biofuel, H2GO would be able to help the environment one mile at a time and save the utility (and ratepayers) money in the long-run.

CORE collection station at the NBCC Business Expo.

Since the inception of the program, one employee really stepped up to help make a difference and become H2GO's "CORE Keeper." Jared Glick, one of H2GO's wastewater maintenance technicians, took it upon himself to collect the CORE containers from the drop-off sites, contact the biofuel company when they have pickups available and maintain the drop-off sites to ensure they are not an eyesore for the community and businesses they serve.

Collecting the CORE containers can be a messy job. The outside of the containers can be sticky with FOG residue, and occasionally, a container with a loose cap will fall to the ground, splattering Glick with fats, oils and grease. But it doesn't deter him. "I wanted to take this task on to help provide a safe alternative disposal method for used cooking oils, and protect against the premature aging of our sewer lines and lift stations," Glick said when asked why he took on the responsibility.

With the program in place, H2GO is able to keep various cooking oils and meat grease out of the sewers. In March 2017, H2GO put out a press release to local media outlets thanking the community for its dedication and efforts toward the program and keeping the infrastructure of the utility and their homes safe. More recently, H2GO has brought its collection program to local events, such as the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce's Business Expo, to give the community even more opportunity and easier access to dispose of their FOG. To date, H2GO customers have kept nearly 2,000 gallons — the equivalent of about 47.5 oil barrels — of fats, oils and grease out of the local sewers and have saved thousands of dollars in home repairs.

H2GO customers are making all the difference, consistently showing their desire to help. H2GO receives nearly 100 containers of cooking oil monthly, and field crews continually notice a decrease of grease build-up in pump stations. WW

Brunswick Regional Water and Sewer H2GO is a government utility established in 1976 that provides water and wastewater services to the northern area of Brunswick County (N.C.), including Navassa, Leland, and Belville. H2GO currently provides water to approximately 10,000 customers.

About the Author: Tyler Wittkofsky is a Leland native and University of North Carolina - Wilmington graduate. Currently, he is the public information officer for H2GO and has spent the majority of his career working in public relations, ensuring a positive impact to the community for all organizations he has been with. He was named one of Brunswick County's Future 10 in 2017 for his passion for helping others discover the jewel that is Northern Brunswick County.

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