All food service establishments shall comply with the following requirements, where applicable:
(a) 
New and tenant-finish FSEs shall be required to submit three copies of facility site plans, floor plans, mechanical and plumbing plans, and details to show all sewer locations and connections, grease control devices or other pretreatment equipment and appurtenances by size, location, and elevation for evaluation. The submittal shall also include a description of any food processing that is or will occur on site, including but not limited to the type of food service (sit down or take out), types of cooking (saute, deep fry, etc.), a description of the menu, and a list of kitchen fixtures with potential to contribute FOG to the sanitary sewer; schematics of process areas illustrating drains and discharge points connected to the sewer; and specific performance goals and implementation schedule, including cleaning frequency and waste disposal procedures if the business will self-clean grease traps. The submittal may be submitted online or to the Director or Director's designee, in a form and content acceptable to the City for expeditious review prior to construction. The review of the plans and procedures shall in no way relieve the FSE of the responsibility of modifying the facility or procedures in the future, as necessary to produce an acceptable discharge, and to meet the requirements of this article or any requirements of other regulatory agencies. The Director will confer with the Codes Department and IPC to determine the adequacy of the proposed FOG control mechanism(s), and may require changes to the plans when needed.
(b) 
The Director or Codes Office may require the drawings be prepared by a Maine registered professional engineer.
(a) 
Grease interceptor sizing shall conform to the specifications of the current edition of the International Plumbing Code, Maine version, as enforced by the Biddeford Code Enforcement Office, as specified by the Director for good cause, or as recommended by the manufacturer, whichever is more stringent. Minimum outside grease interceptor size shall be 1,000 gallons.
(b) 
The grease interceptor shall be installed at a location where it shall be at all times easily accessible for inspection, cleaning, and removal of accumulated grease.
(a) 
New and existing grease interceptors shall be operated and maintained in accordance with established best management practices, manufacturers' instructions, as specified in this article, or as required by the Director, whichever is more stringent. At a minimum, maintenance shall include, but not be limited to, removal of the full contents of the interceptor, including wastewater, accumulated FOG, floating materials, sludge and solids from interceptor walls, baffles and floors. Skimming the surface layer of waste material, partial cleaning of the interceptor or use of any method that does not remove the entire contents of the collection device does not constitute maintenance under this article. The grease interceptor shall be filled with clean water before being returned to service.
(b) 
All existing and newly installed grease interceptors shall be maintained in a manner consistent with a maintenance frequency approved by the Director pursuant to this section.
(c) 
No FOG or sludge removed from a grease interceptor during maintenance activities shall be allowed to pass into any sewer lateral, sewer system, storm drain, or public right-of-way.
(d) 
The maintenance frequency for all food service establishments with a grease interceptor shall be determined by one of the following methods as determined by the Director:
(1) 
Grease interceptors shall be fully pumped out and cleaned at a frequency such that the combined FOG and solids accumulation does not exceed 25% of the total design hydraulic depth of the grease interceptor. This is to ensure that the minimum hydraulic retention time and required available hydraulic volume is maintained to effectively intercept and retain FOG discharged to the sewer system.
(2) 
The Director reserves the right, at any time, to require modification of a food service establishment's FOG plan to increase the cleaning frequency, if the grease interceptor's solids and grease layers exceed 25% of its capacity at any time in the previous 12 months on a twelve-month rolling basis.
(3) 
All food service establishments with a grease interceptor shall fully pump and clean the grease interceptor not less than every 90 days unless a waiver is obtained as per Sec. 70-251(d)(4).
(4) 
If a FSE wishes to clean its grease interceptor less often than the minimum specified in this article (every 90 days), a waiver request is required. The owner/operator of a food service establishment may submit a request to the IPC requesting a change in the maintenance frequency at any time. The food service establishment must demonstrate that the requested change in frequency reflects actual operating conditions based on the average FOG accumulation over time and meets the requirements described in Sec. 70-251(d)(1), and that it is in full compliance with the conditions of this article. Upon determination by the IPC and approval by the Director that the requested revision is justified, the maintenance frequency will be amended and documented in a letter to the owner/operator. Upon determination that the requested revision is not justified, the FSE will be required to continue maintaining the grease interceptor at the original frequency.
(5) 
If at any time the FSE becomes aware that the grease interceptor contains FOG and accumulated solids in excess of the 25% rule described in Sec. 70-251(d)(1), the food service establishment shall have the grease interceptor serviced within five business days in accordance with Sec. 70-251(a).
(6) 
If it is determined that an overflow or blockage situation exists, the interceptor shall be serviced immediately.
(e) 
Wastewater, accumulated FOG, floating materials, sludge/solids, and other materials removed from the grease interceptor shall be properly disposed off site by waste haulers in accordance with federal, state and/or local laws.
(f) 
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements related to grease interceptor maintenance are detailed in Division 4.
(a) 
Sizing and installation of grease traps shall conform to the specifications of the current edition of the International Plumbing Code, Maine version, as enforced by the Biddeford Code Enforcement Office, as specified by the Director for good cause, or as recommended by the manufacturer, whichever is more stringent.
(b) 
The grease trap shall be installed and maintained at a location where it shall be at all times easily accessible for inspection, cleaning, and removal of accumulated grease.
(a) 
New and existing grease traps shall be operated and maintained in accordance with established best management practices, manufacturers' instructions, as specified in this article, or as required by the Director, whichever is more stringent. At a minimum, maintenance shall include, but not be limited to, removal of accumulated FOG, floating materials, sludge, and solids from trap walls, baffles and floors. The grease tap shall be filled with clean water before being returned to service.
(b) 
All existing and newly installed grease traps shall be maintained in a manner consistent with a maintenance frequency as recommended by the manufacturer and in accordance with site conditions.
(c) 
No FOG removed from a grease trap during maintenance activities shall be allowed to pass into any sewer lateral, sewer system, storm drain, or public right-of-way.
(d) 
New and existing grease traps shall be inspected periodically to check for leaking seams and pipes, and for effective operation of the baffles and flow-regulating device. Grease traps and their baffles shall be maintained free of all caked-on FOG and waste. Removable baffles shall be removed and cleaned during the cleaning and maintenance process. The grease trap shall be filled with water before being returned to service.
(e) 
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements related to grease trap maintenance are detailed in Division 4.
(a) 
The Director or his designee may require a food service establishment to construct and maintain in proper operating condition, at the food service establishment's sole expense, constituent monitoring and/or sampling facilities.
(b) 
The location of the monitoring or metering facilities shall be subject to approval by the Director.
(c) 
Food service establishments shall be required to provide City inspectors with immediate, clear, safe, and uninterrupted access to the food service establishment's monitoring and metering facilities.
All Food Services Establishments and other identified entities shall implement minimum best management practices (BMPs) to minimize the discharge of FOG to the sewer system. Detailed requirements for minimum best management practices are specified in this article and explained in the Fats, Oils, and Grease Control Program Toolkit (2006), published by the National Restaurant Association. These may include kitchen practices and/or employee training programs that are effective in minimizing FOG discharge.
(1) 
All food service establishments shall be required, at a minimum, to comply with the following best management practices:
a. 
Installation of floor drain grates/screens. Approved floor drain grates/screens shall be installed in accordance with the International Plumbing Code on all floor drain pipes in food preparation areas.
b. 
Segregation and collection of waste cooking oil. All waste cooking oil shall be collected and stored properly in receptacles such as barrels or drums. Such receptacles shall be protected from the weather and maintained properly to ensure that they do not leak. Waste cooking oil shall be disposed of through recycling, rendering, fuel conversion, or any other legal method except discharge to the POTW.
c. 
Segregation and collection of waste FOG solids. All waste FOG solids shall be collected and stored properly in receptacles such as barrels or drums. Such receptacles shall be protected from the weather and maintained properly to ensure that they do not leak. Waste FOG solids disposed of through recycling, rendering, fuel conversion, MSW disposal, or any other legal method except discharge to the POTW.
d. 
Disposal of food waste. All food waste shall be disposed of directly into the trash or garbage, recycled, or composted, but not disposed of in sinks.
e. 
Employee training. Employees of the food service establishment involved in any aspect of food preparation, bussing, or cleaning shall be trained by ownership/management within 30 days of hire on the following subjects:
1. 
How to "dry wipe" pots, pans, dishware and work areas before washing to remove grease.
2. 
How to properly dispose of food waste and solids.
3. 
The location and use of absorption products to clean floors under fryer baskets and other locations where grease may be spilled or dripped.
4. 
How to properly dispose of grease or oils from cooking equipment into a grease receptacle such as a barrel or drum without spilling.
f. 
Maintenance of kitchen exhaust filters. Filters shall be cleaned as frequently as necessary to be maintained in good operating condition. The wastewater generated from cleaning the exhaust filter shall be disposed properly through a grease interceptor or grease trap. Collected grease solids shall be disposed of through recycling, rendering, or any other method approved by the Director. Grease and oil accumulation on the roof or the exhaust filter discharge shall be evidence of inadequate cleaning methods or cleaning frequency.
g. 
Kitchen signage. Best management and waste minimization practices shall be posted conspicuously in the food preparation and dishwashing areas at all times.