Thanksgiving week, a roasting pan of fat, and a clean booked before or after the meal. The Philadelphia Water Department's 2023 press release says "All cooking fat, like oil from deep-frying and bacon grease, should go in the trash and not down your kitchen sink or any drain." This guide sets the Department's two texts side by side, says what neither covers, and lines up each greasy part of a kitchen against what our published checklist and add-ons list.
Quotations come from the Department's Grease Disposal Guide: Avoid Clogs, Fines and Damaged Pipes! (a two-page PDF whose footer reads 8/30/17), its press release Grease Is For Poles, Not Drains (February 10, 2023), and our own checklist, add-on grid and Terms of Service, all read on November 3, 2026. This guide is not the Water Department's advice and it is not plumbing advice.
The short answer
- Where the fat goes: in the trash. The 2023 release says "Just cool any fat or grease, place it in a can or other disposable container, and put it in the trash to prevent clogged pipes at home and dreaded fatbergs in the sewers."
- Not the drain: the 2017 guide says "NEVER hose or dump grease into any drains or inlets."
- Not a fix afterwards: the guide says "PWD does not recommend using soaps, detergents, bacteria-based solutions and caustic agents like drain cleaners because they do little to combat grease and can cause serious damage to your drains and plumbing."
- A booked visit: the Standard kitchen lists "Clean and Empty Trash Cans" and no sink, stovetop or oven line. Those sit in Deep, Move or a paid add-on.
What the Water Department prints
| Text | Date it shows | What it says for a home | What it leaves out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grease Disposal Guide (PDF) | Footer: 8/30/17 | "Make sure that all animal fats and other grease are disposed of as solid waste." "Dispose of fats or grease in garbage bags so it can be hauled away by the Streets Department." "Grease, oils, and fats will not break down in water." | It is aimed mostly at restaurants and bars, and the home part is two lines. It gives no cooling step and does not mention a garbage disposer. |
| Press release | February 10, 2023 | "All cooking fat, like oil from deep-frying and bacon grease, should go in the trash and not down your kitchen sink or any drain." "Once fats and oils get to a lower temperature, they can harden, build up, and clog pipes." | It gives no cooling time and no container size, and does not mention a garbage disposer or used cooking oil recycling. |
The two texts differ on the container. The 2017 guide says garbage bags; the 2023 release says a can or other disposable container. This guide does not pick one. What both say is trash.
Neither text mentions a garbage disposer, and neither says whether any City site takes a full container of used cooking oil. We read no Philadelphia page that answers either for a household, and we do not guess. The guide also says the "wonder bugs" sold for grease "are not effective enough in the sewer system to eliminate grease buildup or blockages."
Which greasy surface is in which tier
The pan is not the only place Thanksgiving grease lands. Here is each place against the Standard and Deep checklists, the Move and Dream Home additions and the paid add-ons. Prices are from the add-on grid as of November 3, 2026, and the tier-by-tier detail is in what each tier adds.
| Surface | What the sheet says | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Trash cans | Standard: "Clean and Empty Trash Cans" (Entire House and Kitchen). No line mentions a container of fat, bagging it or the curb. | Standard and above |
| Kitchen sink | Deep: "Deeply Scrub & Disinfect Inside / Outside Sink." The Standard kitchen has no sink line. | Deep and above |
| Stovetop | Deep: "Deeply Scrub & Disinfect Stovetop." Move: "Deeply Scrub & Degrease Stovetop." | Deep lists the stovetop; Move adds the degrease line, and Dream Home inherits it |
| Inside the oven | Add-on: Clean Inside Oven, $35 and 30 minutes, "Racks, glass, the works." The Move sheet lists "Clean Interior & Exterior of Oven." | Paid add-on on Standard and Deep; Move lists it and Dream Home inherits it |
| Air fryer | Move: "Clean & Degrease Air fryers." | Move and Dream Home |
| Dishes and the roasting pan | Add-on: Wash Dishes, $25 and 15 minutes, "One sink full." No tier line names dishes. | Paid add-on on all four tiers |
| A clogged drain | No checklist line clears a clog. | Not listed |
Whether a roasting pan and a stock pot fit "One sink full" is not published, so size the dishes before you book. The oven has its own page, the inside-oven guide, and the add-on prices are on our add-on prices in Philadelphia.
A short card for the week
- Follow the Department for the fat. Let it cool, put it in a container, put the container in the trash. Nothing goes down the sink.
- Our suggestion, not the Department's: close the container and put it in the bin yourself before the visit instead of leaving an open can on the counter. The Standard line says "Clean and Empty Trash Cans" and nothing about a container of fat.
- Say what you have. The booking flow has an optional "Arrival notes" card that asks what your cleaner should know on arrival. A baked-on stovetop, or an oven nobody has cleaned in a year, belongs there.
- Know the scope line. Section 4.2 of our Terms lists "Misrepresented Scope": "If the condition of the home is substantially different from what was described at booking, requiring work far beyond the agreed scope and timeframe." It adds that "cancellation fees (as outlined in Section 2.4) may still apply" when service is refused or stopped for these reasons. The Terms do not say how a heavily baked-on stovetop is handled, and this guide does not guess.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pour turkey grease down the drain with hot water?
The 2017 guide says not to put grease down any drain: "NEVER hose or dump grease into any drains or inlets." Neither text names hot water as an exception.
Will drain cleaner fix a grease clog?
The guide says drain cleaners "do little to combat grease and can cause serious damage to your drains and plumbing." Our checklist has no line that clears a clog.
Does the visit take out the trash with the grease in it?
The only line is "Clean and Empty Trash Cans." It does not mention a container of fat or the curb, so say in the booking note what is in the bin.
For the days after the meal, After Thanksgiving in Philadelphia covers leftovers and the holiday trash delay, and cleaning before holiday guests covers the days before. Once the fat is in the trash and the booking note says what the stovetop looks like, start a booking for after the holiday.