Ineffective removal of grease from restaurants poses a variety of serious environmental problems. Large quantities of grease in public sanitary sewer systems can cause stoppages of piping networks and create costly and time-consuming problems at treatment plants. Sewer backups resulting from grease can also create health hazards when raw sewage backs up into homes or businesses.
 
While grease interceptors stand as a last line of defense against grease-related sewer blockages and overflows, there have been very few internationally recognized standards that have addressed this problem. However, ASTM International Committee C27 on Precast Concrete Products has recently developed new standard C 1613, Specification for Precast Concrete Grease Interceptor Tanks. The standard is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee C27.30 on Water and Wastewater Containers.
 
“ASTM International standards provide the basis for the design, manufacture and/or installation of many other precast concrete product lines, says Dean Frank, director of standards and certification programs, National Precast Concrete Association and chair of Committee C27. “As such, it is fitting to develop an ASTM standard for precast concrete grease interceptors.”
 
According to Frank, Specification C 1613 will be used primarily by plumbing designers who specify grease interceptors and the precast concrete manufacturers that produce them. Frank also notes that Subcommittee C27.30 welcomes participation from both producers and users of grease interceptors, such as pretreatment coordinators and representatives from sewering agencies, in future revisions to ASTM C 1613.
 
ASTM International standards are available for purchase from Customer Service (phone: 610/832-9585; https://www.astm.org/contact/) or http://www.astm.org.

For further technical information, Dean Frank, National Precast Concrete Association, Indianapolis, Ind. (phone: 317/571-9500; dfrank@precast.org). Committee C27 will meet Dec. 5-6, at the December Committee Week in Atlanta, Ga. For membership or meeting details, contact Joseph Hugo, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9740; jhugo@astm.org).

Release #7467