Here are some tips to properly dispose of scraps from Thanksgiving dinner

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – Thanksgiving brings together family and friends for those savory foods at the dinner table but afterwards—make sure to properly dispose of those leftovers you don’t want to keep otherwise you may have to fork up a lot of money to call in a plumber. 

“We are swamped this time of year,” said Jay King, Master Plumbing at Tribeca Pluming. 

That’s because he’ll be called to clear up clogged drains around the clock. 

“We try to get to as many calls as we can as quickly as possible,” added King. 

To avoid calling the plumber, King said to dispose of your foods in the trash instead of the garbage disposal. 

“The garbage disposal isn’t a trash can,” added King. 

Also, don’t pour your grease or oil down the drain either, “Once that grease hits cold water in the sewer pipes it will solidify.”

CBS 11 News also reached out to One Source Pluming for some added tips. 

• Keep the disinfectant wipes away and dispose in the trashcan
• Foods such as macaroni can swell up in the pipes so to make sure to throw that food in the trash
• Encourage homeowners to have maintenance yearly on their drains with hydro-jetting to prevent any unforeseen stoppages in the future. 

If you don’t know what to do with that grease, you can safely take it to the Environmental Collection Center in Fort Worth at 6400 Bridge Street where they can turn your grease into biodiesel. It’s run by the city’s code compliance department.

“Contractor comes picks it up and ends up being filtered and then turned into biodiesel so it’s a popular commodity for that these days,” said Mary Gugliuzza, spokesperson with the Fort Worth Water Department. 

Gugliuzza also reminds residents there’s oil and grease in salad dressing so make sure to wipe your bowls and dishes as well. 

Another tip, if you don’t believe the clog is your fault—call the city first. 

“We will go out and make sure the stop isn’t on our line because it can be an accumulates from multiple homes and our lines and we’ll make sure the stop isn’t on our lines before they have the expense of calling out the plumber,” added Gugliuzza. 

If you live in Fort Worth, you can call 817-392-4477, or use the MyFW app where they can respond 24/7.