Breweries are not just hubs of creativity and craftsmanship—they’re also significant contributors to fats, oils and grease (FOG) in wastewater. Proper grease trap maintenance is essential for breweries of all sizes to ensure compliance with Atlanta’s wastewater regulations, prevent costly blockages and maintain efficient operations.

Whether you run a microbrewery gastropub or a standalone production brewery, understanding your FOG sources and grease trap needs is critical.

The Sources of FOG in Breweries

Breweries generate FOG in unique ways compared to other food service businesses. While they don’t produce as much grease as a typical restaurant, their wastewater can contain high levels of organic matter and residues that contribute to FOG buildup. Common FOG sources in breweries include:

• Brewing Byproducts: Spent grain residue, hops and trub can mix with oils and fats in wastewater, creating a thick, sticky FOG layer in grease traps.
  
  
• Cleaning Agents: Breweries rely heavily on cleaning and sanitizing equipment, which can introduce grease residues and organic particles into the water.
  
  
• Gastropubs and Brewpubs: Breweries that double as dining establishments often generate more traditional FOG from kitchen operations, including frying oils, grease from cooking and food particles.

Each of these FOG sources can overwhelm a grease trap if not properly managed, leading to blockages and potential fines for non-compliance with departments of watershed management.

Typical Grease Trap Needs for Breweries

In Atlanta, grease trap requirements for breweries vary based on their size and operations, but large underground grease traps are often necessary for breweries to handle the higher volume of wastewater they generate. Here are some typical configurations:

• Standalone Breweries: These facilities usually require large-capacity underground grease traps to manage wastewater from brewing, cleaning and equipment sanitizing processes. Underground traps can handle higher volumes and prevent FOG from entering the municipal sewer system.

• Microbreweries and Brewpubs: Smaller operations that serve food may rely on a combination of kitchen grease traps and larger grease interceptors. These setups are designed to handle both brewery-related FOG and food-related grease from kitchen operations.

Atlanta requires businesses to install grease traps that meet specific size and flow rate standards, ensuring they can effectively separate FOG from wastewater and prevent it from entering the city sewer systems.

Why Grease Trap Maintenance Is Essential for Breweries

Proper maintenance is key to keeping your grease traps working efficiently. Neglecting grease traps can lead to clogs, backups and unpleasant odors—all of which can disrupt your brewery’s operations and harm your reputation. Regular cleaning ensures that:

• FOG Accumulation Stays Under Control: Routine cleaning prevents grease from building up and causing blockages in the sewer system. Sewage backups caused by inadequate grease trap maintenance are not only expensive to repair but can cause significant property damage and sour relationships with neighboring businesses and community members.
  
  
• You Stay Compliant with Atlanta Regulations: Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management requires grease traps to be properly maintained to avoid fines and other penalties.

Grease Trap Cleaning Requirements in Atlanta

The Atlanta Department of Watershed Management mandates specific cleaning frequencies for grease traps based on their size and type to ensure compliance with wastewater regulations. Businesses, including breweries, are required to maintain detailed cleaning manifests to show they adhered to these requirements.

Larger grease traps, such as underground interceptors typically used by breweries, often require cleaning every 90 days, though high-FOG generators may need more frequent maintenance. Some businesses may require more frequent cleanings if their traps exceed the 25 percent threshold for total FOG by volume in fewer than 90 days.

During random inspections, your business will be expected to provide manifests to show you have remained compliant with the rules throughout the year. At Southern Green Industries, we provide manifests in multiple formats and can forward them to your regulator to ensure there’s never any doubt about your business’s compliance.

Partner With the Right Grease Trap Cleaning and Maintenance Company for Your Brewery in Atlanta

Keeping your grease traps clean and compliant requires a professional grease trap cleaning company that understands the specific needs of breweries. At Southern Green Industries, we have the ability to clean and maintain large-capacity underground grease traps and effectively address brewery-specific FOG sources. Call us at (404) 419-6887 to schedule your free quote.