Bio Drain: saving the planet one drain at a time

EVAN WILLIAMS/FLORIDA WEEKLY Caroline Useman and her pet Shamu. Caroline Useman is a big fan of bacteria — the kind that can unclog sinks. As vice president of Bio Drain of Florida/Snyder Septic, she keeps tabs on the sinks of more than 250 Southwest Florida businesses that use the product.

Bio Drain is a liquid bacteria poured into the pipes, which turns stuck organic waste, like soap or sugar scum, into carbon dioxide and water. This makes the waste clean as it flows back into the environment. And Bio Drain's sister company, Snyder Septic, services restaurants smelly grease traps.

It's Useman's way of helping Planet Earth.

"Save the planet one drain at a time" is her motto, and part of a campaign that has made Bio Drain liquid available to the public as of January.

It's sold to households in 64-ounce bottles for $35, and Useman recommends pouring 2 ounces in every drain in the house once per month.

"I'm a leftover hippie, so I'm one of those Mother Earth people," she said. "If you could use bacteria to clean up waterways, that's what I wanted to do. I felt like it was my way to work for green peace and get paid. I begged for the job."

She moved to Fort Myers 14 years ago, when Bio Drain was founded, to work for the company. She stayed "for the beauty, the beaches, the palm trees and the birds" she said. "And I love to fish on the back waters."

Meanwhile, her first accounts for Bio Drain included Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa, Captiva Island's South Seas Resort, and Shell Point Village. She still has those clients and many others.

But long before she was trying to clean up the earth through its water waste, she was working more directly with dirt itself. She owned a huge landscaping business in Atlanta.

The business was a childhood dream, one Useman started after having four children. The family lived in rural North Georgia, on 40 acres with cows, goats, chickens, a turkey and a lamb, among other animals. It was an idealistic life.

"It was a great, great way to raise children," she said. "It gives you a new perspective."

To her, landscaping didn't seem like work, since it stemmed directly from working in her grandmother's garden as a child, in Georgia.

"I was doing it for free for everybody and then I learned I could get paid for it," she said.

After Useman went through a divorce, she looked for some other job she could feel that way about. Now she's remarried, to Bob, and enjoys working for a company that's good for the environment, something she'd do anyway.

"Using live bacteria to eradicate organic waste is my passion," she said. "I'd still be doing this if I were wealthy. It's so much fun to live life this way."

The product is recognized as safe bacteria by the Environmental Protection Agency, and Useman said it helps clean up waterways by dissolving organic waste.

She often finds that restaurants or private residents are shocked by what stinky organic gunk resides in their pipes.

"I've been known to go into a restaurant, stick my hand up their drain, and pull out what's there," she said.

But before she's off checking drains or taking calls from restaurants whose drain or grease trap might have backed up, she's up by about 4 a.m. to walk three dogs and do a daily mediation. Then she checks e-mails at about 5 a.m. and heads to the office. By 8:05 p.m. sharp, Useman said she's fast asleep.

Sometimes on the weekend she goes to tech shows to display the Bio Drain product. Since it was put on the market for private homeowners, Useman has sold more than 450 bottles.

She attributes the success in part to the popularity of going "green." More people are making decisions that benefit the environment, she said. That will play a big role in Bio Drains' ongoing success.

"I have been green as Kermit for 15 years," Useman said. "And now we are having people that are just loving it, asking 'How can I become green?'"

A picture of a popular fishing spot near Sanibel Island, which can be seen on the side of the company van and on the Web site, BioDrainofFL.com, has also drawn recognition.

"Some guys who are avid fishermen will walk up to the van and say 'I know what that is,' Useman said. "And they'll stand there and stare at it and stare at it and say, 'That's Fisherman's Island.'"