Whether you used your oil to deep-fry or brown ground beef, or anything else, we usually have some leftover oil that makes us want to pour it down the kitchen sink. What we don’t know is that this oil can clog and damage the pipes. Pouring the oil outside is no better as it can cause serious harm to the environment and even wildlife. So, what is the best way to dispose of your used cooking oil?

This article will share some amazing tips to help you adequately dispose of your used cooking oil without causing any harm to your kitchen sink or the environment. Read on to discover them.

1) Reuse Cooking Oil

If you regularly fry foods, it would be prudent for you to save your used cooking oil by first straining it through a coffee filter and then storing it in an airtight container. Note that you should not reuse your oil more than twice at most.

Sniff the oil before using it again to see if it smells. If it smells, you should toss it out. Note that each time you reuse cooking oil, it deteriorates and its smoke point. The smoke point is the point at which oil burns.

2) Pour Into Disposable Container

When getting rid of the oil, let it cool and then pour into a non-recyclable container (e.g., milk cartons) that can be sealed. You can then toss the container in the trash.

3) Chill Until Solid

If you’d rather throw your used oil out, you will need to freeze the oil until it’s solid. It can then come out of the container in one piece and be disposed of in the trash.

4) Small Amounts Into Trash

You can dispose of a small amount of oil into nearly full plastic bags as long as the oil is cooled first and the bag is locked firmly. Absorbent materials present in the trash help to soak up the oil and prevent it from leaking out of the bag.

5) Combine With Other Material

Before you dispose of used oil, you could mix it with an absorbent material such as sand or sawdust because they soak up the fat quickly.

6) Purchase a Grease Disposal System

Getting a grease disposal system kit would be an excellent investment if you fry regularly or on a large scale. This kit can hold almost 32 ounces of oil.

7) Recycle Cooking Oil

Many cities collect used cooking oil and recycle it into biodiesel which certain vehicles make use of now.

Cooking Oil Disposal Don’ts

There are certain things to avoid when disposing of used cooking oil.

  • Never pour used oil down the sink/drain or the toilet because it tends to clog your pumping system and drainage field. It could also pollute your local waterways because it is challenging to treat contaminated water with oil.
  • You should also never pour hot oil into trash cans because rodents could get attracted to it, causing problems during waste disposal.
  • Cooking oil should not be thrown into compost piles or bins either because cooking oil is composed almost entirely of fat which is terrible for compost piles.

Conclusion

Cooking oil can always be reused, and if it can’t, there are safer ways to dispose of it without causing damage to the environment or yourself. It would be best if you took precautions when disposing of used cooking oil to avoid extra expenses used to manage any problems that might arise from careless disposal methods. In addition to the methods outlined in this article, one of the safest ways to safely dispose of large quantities of excess cooking oil is to have it collected by a waste oil collector and recycler.

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