Grease Trap Emptying

Grease traps stop fats, oils, and grease (FOG) from getting into your drainage system. Keep one well maintained and it'll cut down on blockages, bad smells, and emergency call-outs. Neglect it, and it fills up fast, letting FOG pass through into your pipework, where it cools, sets hard, and blocks the flow. That's when you start seeing flooding, hygiene problems, and disruption to your business.

ICE Drainage provides professional grease trap emptying across the UK for commercial and industrial sites. Using specialist vacuum tankers and controlled waste handling, we remove FOG waste, leave the unit working properly, and provide compliant waste transfer documentation to support your Duty of Care.

What is a grease trap?

A grease trap, sometimes called a grease interceptor, is a plumbing device that catches fats, oils, and grease before wastewater flows into the wider drainage network. It works by slowing the water down, so grease and oil float to the top, solids sink to the bottom, and cleaner water passes through.

You'll find grease traps in restaurants and commercial kitchens, takeaways and food courts, hotels and hospitality venues, schools, colleges, and universities, hospitals and healthcare catering, food production and processing sites, and supermarkets and in-store bakeries.

Why grease trap emptying matters

FOG is one of the biggest causes of drainage blockages anywhere food is prepared. Regular emptying helps prevent blocked drains and repeat call-outs, kitchen downtime, bad smells and hygiene complaints, back-ups and localised flooding, pests, and early failure of pipework further down the line.

A planned emptying schedule is almost always cheaper than dealing with an emergency after the fact.

Signs your grease trap needs emptying

If you're noticing any of the following, it's worth booking a service: a persistent smell near the unit or kitchen drains, slow drainage from sinks, dishwashers, or floor drains, gurgling sounds or water backing up, grease you can see building up in the trap, blockages happening more often, or hygiene concerns and pest activity.

Even without obvious symptoms, grease traps still need emptying on a set schedule to keep working properly.

Our grease trap emptying process

We follow a clear, structured process built to be clean, efficient, and compliant.

1) Site assessment and access planning

We confirm where the unit is, check access, and work out the right equipment for the job, along with any site controls we need to follow.

2) Safe set-up and hygiene controls

We put the right controls in place to protect the working area and keep disruption to a minimum. In food environments, cleanliness and containment come first.

3) Vacuum extraction of FOG waste

Using vacuum tankers and specialist equipment, we remove floating grease and oil, settled solids and food waste, and the wastewater inside the unit. This gets the grease trap back to full working capacity and cuts the risk of FOG passing into your drainage system.

4) Internal clean and wash-down

Where it's needed, we wash down the inside of the unit to clear residue, leave it serviceable, and help reduce odours.

5) Condition checks and reporting

We check the condition of the unit and flag anything we find, like damaged baffles or internal parts, poor flow at the inlet or outlet, signs of bypassing or an incorrect installation, or heavy build-up that suggests the emptying schedule needs changing. If more investigation is needed, we can recommend drain jetting or a CCTV drain survey.

6) Waste transport and disposal documentation

Grease trap waste is controlled waste and has to be transported and disposed of correctly. We provide waste transfer documentation where applicable, supporting your Duty of Care.

Grease trap emptying for different sites

We support grease trap emptying across a wide range of food and facilities environments, including restaurants, pubs, and hospitality venues, catering kitchens and staff canteens, schools and education sites, hospitals and healthcare sites, food production and processing facilities, retail and supermarket food operations, and facilities management and multi-site operators.

If you manage several locations, we can help standardise your service intervals and documentation.

Planned grease trap maintenance programmes

There's no single frequency that fits every site. How often you need emptying depends on kitchen volume and operating hours, the type of menu and how much grease it produces, the size and installation of the trap, and your disposal requirements and site governance.

Many sites do well with planned visits, often monthly or quarterly, with the schedule adjusted based on how much build-up we actually find.

A planned programme helps cut emergency call-outs, improve drainage reliability, support hygiene and compliance checks, and give you a consistent audit trail.

Grease trap emptying and drainage performance

When grease traps aren't emptied, FOG moves into the pipework downstream and causes restricted flow and repeat blockages, back-ups into kitchens and floor drains, smells spreading through the building, and more jetting and higher maintenance costs.

Regular grease trap emptying is one of the simplest ways to protect your drainage system and avoid disruption.

Compliance and waste documentation

FOG waste has to be handled correctly. We support compliance through Waste Transfer Notes where applicable, clear waste descriptions that match the waste stream, and controlled waste handling with documented disposal routes.

This supports your Duty of Care obligations and helps keep your records audit-ready.

Book grease trap emptying with ICE Drainage

If you need reliable grease trap emptying to prevent blockages, cut down on odours, and protect your drainage system, ICE Drainage can help.

Contact ICE Drainage to arrange a planned maintenance visit or request urgent support. We'll empty your grease trap properly, manage the waste compliantly, and give you the documentation you need for confident compliance.