Grease traps can seem pricey. And that price-tag can push some into buying cheaper, less-durable traps or even opting to take the risk and not have one at all.
But choosing to cheap-out or putting off installing a GRU entirely is a bad idea for any food business.
Here’s why being cautious about FOG production makes good financial sense.
First, the basics:
The FOG problem
Fats, oils and grease (FOGs) left over on plates and utensils is washed down our drains as we wash up. Those FOGs find their way into the sewers where they solidify and, over time, form fatbergs.
When those fatbergs are discovered by water company workers, an investigation begins which traces the responsibility for the bergs to the doors of local food businesses.
After being educated by the inspectors and given a fair number of warnings, if those food businesses fail to change they will eventually face:
Fines From The Water Companies
These fines can be hefty.
While the £420,000 fine handed out to Hypergoods Ltd. by Thames Water in September was particularly huge, even the more common financial penalties for poor grease management can cripple food businesses.
Severn Trent Water is currently highly productive in their grease-related prosecutions, with a trio of court wins.
Back in 2016, Severn Trent handed out a £5,495 fine to a restaurant in Wolverhampton for poor grease management. Severn Trent followed this up with a court win last year which saw SCE Catering Ltd. ordered to pay £9,226 for poor FOG practice and handed out yet another fine this year in a Nottingham Magistrates’ Court case which saw a third restaurant fined £8,419 for responding inadequately to the water company’s advice on preventing the formation of fatbergs. 
These fines have all been for contravening The UK Water Industry Act of 1991, an act which also saw a nearly £16,000 fine handed out to a Cambridgeshire Chinese restaurant in 2006, the year before a Wiltshire pub, an Indian Restaurant in Stevenage, and a school in Gloucestershire were fined £34,881, £15,000 and £7,616 respectively in 2007. The Act was also enforced to fine an Essex Chinese restaurant £9,660 in 2009 and to hand out another fine of £12,560 to a fast food joint in London in 2010.
The point is that there is plenty of proof that water companies are adept at putting The UK Water Industry Act of 1991 to use in prosecuting food businesses who do not meet their standards – and those water companies have recently been putting that Act to work to ensure that all restaurants in their jurisdictions are on the right side of the fight against the FOG problem.
If you want to avoid facing heavy financial penalties, the solution is simple: get on the right side of the fight.
That’s why:
A Good Grease Trap Will Save You Money In The Long Run
A premium, long-lasting GRU will ensure that your business is never deemed responsible for any FOGs leaking into a sewer near you.
You can’t get this kind of assurance from cheaper, less reliable traps and you certainly can’t go without and hope for the best – if the water company inspector comes knocking, they won’t be impressed if you can’t prove to them that you are doing all you can to help resolve the FOG problem.
While quality comes with a bumped-up price-tag, that price is worth paying.
What Does A Premium GRU Look Like?
Instead of the flimsy plastic which holds cheaper models together (and often needs replacing), premium GRU’s are fitted out with durable stainless steel.
That’s true of the Goslyn automatic grease traps.
With a range of sizes to meet the demands of every commercial kitchen and prices starting at less than £2,000 including VAT, the Goslyn grease removal units, don’t just meet industry standards for grease management but exceeds them.
With a 10-year warranty on stainless steel parts, they're built to last and, functioning automatically, are built to ensure that, apart from giving its solid filter and FOG collection compartment a regular clean, you can keep working safe in the knowledge that your grease trap is doing what it does best while you aren’t looking.
Another bonus: with an automatic trap like the Goslyn GRU's, you won’t just be avoiding potential fines, you’ll be making real savings of thousands of pounds a year – the amount you would have to pay to professionally pump a passive trap every month or two.
Save yourself from a hefty fine, and save the planet, in style. Invest in a quality grease trap, tailored to your needs, today.
