St. Louis, Mo. (February 4, 2026) Super Bowl Sunday is one of America’s biggest food days of the year, with fans expected to consume more than 100 million pounds of chicken wings during the big game. But while the snacks may disappear quickly, the leftover grease can create problems that linger long after the final whistle.
Ace Grease is urging households across the nation to dispose of cooking oil properly this weekend, warning that pouring grease down the drain can lead to costly plumbing issues and even major sewer backups affecting entire neighborhoods.
“Super Bowl Sunday produces an enormous amount of cooking grease, not just in stadiums and restaurants, but in kitchens at home,” said Wes Williamson of Ace Grease. “The biggest mistake people make is dumping it down the sink, because it doesn’t just go away, it builds up. We’ve seen some places even develop ‘fatbergs,’ which are huge amalgamations of grease and other debris that get stuck in a sewer system. They can grow up to the size of buses, and they cause major problems by blocking off the flow of the entire city.”
Large venues generate thousands of pounds of used cooking oil on game day and rely on professional grease recycling companies like Ace Grease to handle disposal. But homeowners hosting parties often don’t realize the damage grease can cause when it enters plumbing systems. Grease can harden inside pipes, causing blockages that spread beyond individual homes and into municipal sewer systems.
Williamson advised having a container nearby at all times when cooking with grease. This could be a wide range of things, like an empty coffee container, a milk jug, or a glass jar. First, let the grease cool so it won’t melt the container. Then, pour the grease inside and seal it with a lid.
“After it’s in its container, you can throw it away in the trash as long as it’s properly sealed,” Williamson said. “I highly advise that you don’t just throw the cooking oil outside either. This will attract unwanted pests and can even harm the landscape or leak into the waste system.”
Williamson recommends the following steps for proper grease disposal:
- Let grease cool completely
- Pour it into a sealable container (coffee can, milk jug, glass jar)
- Throw it in the trash once sealed – never outside or down the drain
Ace Grease also provides a public drop-off location for used cooking oil at its Millstadt, Illinois, facility, available during regular working hours. Residents who collect grease after Super Bowl gatherings can recycle it safely instead of sending it to landfills or drains.