You should also review these general guidelines and best practices for managing water throughout the hotel.

A 125-seat restaurant serving 225 meals per day uses about 200,000 gallons of water per year. (For more information visit http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_EH171) The following water conservation opportunities exist in the kitchen area:

1. Reuse gray water.
   Reuse gray water (rinse water not contaminated with chemicals) to water plants. Water from steam tables and used ice are especially good for reusing. Coordinate with staff (or contracted company that is responsible for maintaining the indoor or outdoor plants) to use gray water first.
2. Dishwasher options.
   Commercial dishwashers called "warewashers" use approximately 1 - 1.5 gpm while conventional older rack washers use between 9 and 12 gpc (gallons per cycle). An Energy StarŪ qualified dishwasher saves about $100 over its lifetime. The savings comes from using less hot water than conventional models.
3. Don't use running water to melt ice or frozen foods.
   Thaw frozen items in the refrigerator overnight.

Fats, Oils and Grease Pretreatment

Residual fats, oils, and grease are by-products that must continually be managed by the kitchen. They enter the plumbing system from washing dishes, pots and pans, cleaning the floor and sanitizing equipment. Sanitary sewer systems are not designed or equipped to handle the grease that accumulates on the interior of the municipal sewer collection system pipes. When this happens raw sewage can overflow into your property or into parks, yards and streets. If caused by your property, this will be a public health issue as well as a public relations problem.

1. Sweep food debris into trash cans.
   Often, the kitchen staff will use the water hose as a broom and wash everything on the floor into the drain to clean. This causes grease as well as food, detergents, waxes and other chemicals to enter the sewage system. If the debris doesn't get washed down the drain, it will be swept out the backdoor onto the asphalt, where it eventually ends up in the storm drain. From here it flows into the creeks and lakes used for recreation or eventually into the aquifer which serves as our water supply. Not only being harmful to the environment, this practice may be illegal in some areas.
2. Use dry cleanup as the first pass cleaning.
   Dry cleanup involves using a scraper, squeegee, or absorbent to capture a large portion of the food material or grease to keep it from going down the drain.Do not remove drain screens that keep paper, plastic or utensils from accidentally going down the drain. Uses of dry cleanup include: · Rubber scrapers to remove food and grease from cookware and serving ware.· Food grade paper to soak up oil and grease under fryer baskets.· Paper towels to wipe down work areas instead of cloth towels that will need washing and cause grease to eventually end up in drains.· Use kitty litter or vermiculite to absorb liquid spills, as long as the spill is not a hazardous material.
3. Recycle oil and grease.
   Oil and grease is a commodity and should be treated as a resource. Some rendering companies offer services free of charge or may offer a rebate. If rendering barrels are stored outside, be sure that the lid is secured at all times. During storms, uncovered or partially covered barrels allow storm water to enter the barrel resulting in oil running onto the ground and possibly into storm drains.
4. Preventative maintenance.
   Maintenance is the key to avoiding grease blockages. Set up a schedule to regularly clean and service all equipment.
5. Contract with a professional to clean large hood filters.
   Small hoods can be hand-cleaned with spray detergent and wiped down.
6. Change fryer grease frequently.
   Skim/filter fryer grease daily and change oil only when necessary. This extends the life of the fryer and oil. Build-up of carbon deposits on the bottom of the fryer act as an insulator that forces the fryer to heat longer which causes the oil to break down sooner.
7. Use correctly sized and installed grease traps.
   To work correctly, grease traps or interceptors must be properly sized, installed and maintained. Units that are too close to the discharge and do not have enough volume to allow amassing of the grease and oils will not be effective in capturing. Be sure all grease-bearing drains discharge to the grease trap. If the property connects to a local wastewater treatment plant, check with it for any requirements for interceptors and management.
8. Train staff on grease traps.
   Proper training of staff on the location, purpose and function of the grease trap is critical. Be sure staff never hot flush the grease or oil causing the liquefied grease to be flushed down the sewer.Pump out schedules should be established to avoid overflows, downstream blockage and excessive oil and grease going into the wastewater stream.
9. Prevent spills.
   Preventing spills reduces the amount of waste on food preparation and serving areas that require employee cleanup.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection
FDEP Web Site · 2600 Blair Stone Road · Tallahassee · Florida · 32399-2400
Florida Green Lodging Program · Program Contact Information
References · Acknowledgements · Disclaimer