Cooking Clean-Up 101

This time of year often means an increase in the amount of fats, oils and grease going down pipes and into local sewers. Unfortunately, liquid fats, oils and grease can solidify when poured down the drain, building up on the walls of sewer pipes and blocking the plumbing, which can lead to sewer backups in homes, onto streets and into local waterways. Clogged sewer lines can also lead to expensive (and smelly!) plumbing work for you and the City. Pouring hot water or soap down the drain will not help - it can only break up the grease temporarily. Never pour fats, oils or grease down the drain or flush down a toilet.

So, what should you do with leftover fats, oils and grease?

First of all, it can be reused. You can save fats and oils from cooking to use again the next time you cook. If you deep fry a turkey, allow the oil to cool completely after cooking and remove large food debris. Strain the oil for reuse and store it in a refrigerator. Learn more about safely storing used cooking oil for reuse.

To dispose of extra fats, oils and grease, don’t pour it in the trash. Liquids will leak out of the Recology trucks as they drive around town, and no one wants our roads covered in cooking oils and grease. Here’s some better options:

• Soak up small amounts of cool, liquid fats, oils and grease with paper towels and place them in the organics bin. Hardened fats and grease can also be placed in your organics bin (no liquids though please!).
• If you have more liquid oils and grease than you can soak up with paper towels, place them in a container and bring them to the hazardous waste drop-off at the Yolo County landfill, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. They will ensure the materials are safely recycled.

Hiring a Landscape or Pest Control Professional?

When dealing with unwanted pests around your home or business, you may want to hire a pest control service to take care of the problem for you. Pest control professionals have access to different products, specialized training and other equipment that may be needed in order to manage a serious infestation or problem. A landscape or pest control professional who practices Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methods and stays up to date on the latest information can provide you with the least toxic and most effective management strategies.

Here's a few tips to ponder before you hire a landscape or pest control professional:

• Consider your options – Inquire with pest management companies about their methods and policies to see which options best suits your needs and pest problems.
• Check certifications – Make sure the company has the required licenses, registration, certificates and insurance.
• Ask about Integrated Pest Management (IPM) – IPM is an eco-friendly and effective method of pest control. Before hiring, check if your pest control or landscaping professional practices IPM. Three programs that certify and list pest control companies that provide IPM services are EcoWise, GreenPro and Green Shield.

Visit Our Water, Our World or the UC Integrated Pest Management Program for more information about hiring a professional pest control or landscaping company.

On Street Yard Material Pile Reminders

It’s on-street yard material collection season! To ensure a smooth and speedy collection of yard materials, please keep these things in mind:

• Fill up your organics cart first with leaves and yard materials before placing them in the street for collection. Small piles of leaves or other yard debris should always be placed in your organics cart (grass clippings are never permitted in yard material piles.)
• Yard material piles may not be placed on the street any sooner than seven (7) days before the scheduled collection. Specific collection days for your property can be found on our website.
• Check the size of your yard material pile. The claw cannot collect piles that are larger than 5 feet in any direction. If your pile is too big, you can break it into smaller piles, but they need to be separated so the claw can pick each one up.
• Make sure that branches are not larger than 8” in diameter, and cut long branches into sections 5 feet long or shorter so that they can be collected with the rest of the pile.
• Be aware that yard material piles can create serious hazards for cyclists; yard material piles may not be placed in any portion of a bike lane.

Keep sidewalks clear of landscaping

Property owners are responsible for making sure their landscaping is not blocking the sidewalk. As you are doing yardwork, filling your organics cart and placing yard materials in piles, remember to check any plants that may grow along the sidewalk. Please prune bushes and other plants that may be growing over and blocking the sidewalk in front of your property.

Keep street gutters and storm drains clear

If your yard materials are placed in the street for pick-up, please make sure to leave the gutter clear and avoid blocking storm drain inlets so that if it rains, the water can flow freely. This will prevent the leaves, branches and trimmings from clogging the storm drain and causing localized flooding.

More information on yard material collection service.

Dispose of Pesticides and Other Hazardous Wastes Like a Pro

If you’ve gone green or have unused pesticides around your home that you no longer need, dispose of them properly so they do not harm you or the environment. Place empty, unrinsed pesticide containers in the trash. 

Pesticides, fertilizers, household cleaners, batteries, used fluorescent bulbs and other toxic, flammable, reactive or poisonous materials cannot be placed in our garbage bins and must be taken to the Yolo County Hazardous Waste Facility for safe disposal. 

Residents can bring pesticides and other toxic material to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility for free every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please note that the hazardous waste facility will be closed on November 28 and 29.

Businesses may not use the free hazardous waste program, but there are alternative options available for safe disposal.

Irrigation Change Reminders

With shorter days and cooler temperatures, landscapes need less water in the fall and winter months. Now that you’ve dialed back your clock for daylight savings, be sure to also dial back your irrigation! Remember to water with the weather; turn your irrigation system off when it rains and keep it off for 48 hours after a rain event. Reducing the amount of water you use from November through February can have an effect on your wastewater bill, because wastewater rates are calculated using your average winter water use.

Watering with sprinkler/spray irrigation is allowed a maximum three days per week. These restrictions do not apply to other types of landscape irrigation like drip, soaker hoses or hand-watering. View the sprinkler/spray irrigation schedule

Have you already signed up for AquaHawk? This online water-use portal gives customers access to view hourly water use and the ability to set and receive usage alerts. By checking for continuous water use in AquaHawk, you can find and detect potential water leaks immediately rather than waiting for a large water bill. Learn more about AquaHawk.

Wildlife Spotlight: Muskrats

Muskrats are semi-aquatic rodents that are often mistaken for North American beavers, even though they are about 25% of a beaver’s size. Muskrats are rarely seen more than a few meters from fresh or brackish water habitats such as marshes, swamps and bogs. They dine primarily on the roots and stems of aquatic vegetation and sometimes animal matter such as mollusks, fish and aquatic insects.

Female and male muskrats look nearly identical, with chunky bodies that are covered in short, dense brown to reddish-brown fur. Their fur traps air to help them float and stay warm. Their tails are long, vertically flattened and scaly. The tail is used to propel the muskrat through the water with the help of partially webbed toes. From nose to tip of the tail, muskrats are about 24” long.

Like their larger cousin the beaver, muskrats can play an important role in the function and health of aquatic ecosystems. They are known as a “keystone species” in some locations because their presence and activity makes the pond or marsh a better place for other animals to live. As they forage, they control the density of aquatic vegetation which may otherwise get too thick for other animals. Similarly, their den burrows offer cover for turtles, salamanders, frogs and toads. Learn more about muskrats.

CAL FIRE Tree Planting Kick-off

Join CAL FIRE, community members and partners on November 22 for the kickoff of a multi-year effort to re-green the Lewis A. Moran Reforestation Center in Davis! Hear from guest speakers, then take part in a tree planting demonstration and help install climate-adapted trees around the site. The event is from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 5800 Chiles Road, Davis, CA. Tools and light refreshments will be provided.

Register for the Event

Home Energy Assessment

Score yourself a more comfortable and energy efficient home with Home Energy Score! The City of Davis is partnering with Cool Davis to offer 50 households a free Home Energy Score. Fifty eligible homes in Davis will receive a free assessment and a home report with a score and action recommendations. A Home Energy Score Assessor will collect information during a home walk-through and score your home on a scale of 1 to 10. Homes located in the City of Davis that are a maximum of 3,100 square feet are eligible to participate. This includes detached single-family homes, townhomes and duplexes. Multi-family properties are not eligible for this pilot program.

Learn more on the Home Energy Score webpage