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Environmental Control /  Grease Management for Food Service Facilities

If managed improperly fats, oils, and grease (FOG) waste generated by food service facilities within the Town can create a huge burden on the waste water infrastructure and wastewater treatment facility.

Disposal of any fat, oil, or grease (FOG) down a sink or floor drain can cause serious problems for your plumbing system.

FOGs can congeal in sewer pipes, pumps, and other equipment, restricting flow of wastewater in the sanitary sewer collection system and eventually cause a back up into the facilities serviced by that pipe. If your business discharges fats, oils, or greases to the Town of Amherst sewer system in concentrations greater than 100 mg/l, such discharges can disrupt the treatment plant and cause significant operational problems. In either of the above cases, the food service facility which caused the disruption will be financially responsible for any treatment plant upsets and/or clogged collection pipes.

As part of the voluntary Town of Amherst Grease Management Program, town personnel will perform pretreatment inspections of commercial and institutional facilities engaged in food preparation. The objective of this inspection is to provide facilities with information on grease management, gather site specific operational and plumbing data for our review, suggest corrections for any plumbing configuration problems and ultimately establish a suggested maintenance frequency for each installation.

Most sewer back-ups occur between a facility and the Town of Amherst sewer main, where the property owner is responsible for correcting the problem. Blockages translate to unnecessary plumbing bills. If the blockage occurs in the Town of Amherst sewer main, the Town of Amherst will correct the problem. Please call the Town of Amherst Sewer Maintenance Division to report a sewer back-up or overflow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Food Service Establishments - Grease Interceptor Sizing Requirements

2017 Town of Amherst Grease Interceptor Sizing

About Amherst

The Town of Amherst was established in 1818 and celebrated its 200th Anniversary in 2018. The town has a geographical area of 53.6 square miles and a population of greater than 122,000.

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The Town of Amherst ADA Coordinators are Robert McCarthy (Director of Human Resources) and Mark Berke (Commissioner of Buildings).

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  • General Information:
    (716) 631-7000
  • Email:
    toainfo@amherst.ny.us
  • Address:
    Municipal Building (Town Hall)
  • 5583 Main Street
  • Williamsville, NY 14221