How to Dispose of Used Cooking Grease

Disposing of used cooking grease is an environmentally important task. There are several ways to safely dispose of it, but it should never be poured down the drain.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plastic Containers

1. Allow the oil to cool completely before disposing of it.

2. Decide whether the oil needs to be discarded. Oil used for deep-frying can usually be reused several times. Strain it into a clean sealable container.

3. To throw it away, carefully pour it into a strong sealable container, such as an old plastic jar with a lid. Many households save jars for this purpose. Plastic jars are better than breakable glass ones.

4. If the amount of oil is small, place the filled, sealed jar in the trash.

5. Take large amounts of cooking oil to the local landfill.

6. Alternatively, recycle large amounts of used cooking oil with the help of a cooperative local restaurant. Most restaurants have used grease bins, whose contents are recycled into consumer products. Ask if you can add your used oil to their grease bin.

7. Used cooking oil can also be composted with other organic matter. If you have a compost heap or a healthy backyard earthworm population, feed them kitchen scraps.

Tips & Warnings

• Save sealable plastic jars or old coffee cans for disposing of old grease.
• Wait until the oil has cooled completely before handling it.
• Never pour oil down the drain. Even small amounts will eventually clog the plumbing.

Who Can Help:

• Guaranteed: Lose 30+ lbs without dieting. Try Sensa Today

[twoods196]

on 3/30/2009 If you need someone to pick up your grease in the midsouth try, http://www.woodsandsonsrecyclers.com Great Company!

[dclonch1]

on 5/15/2007 You do not need to use methanol to burn used cooking oil in a diesel. check out www.feedtherabbit.com people there do it safely and efficiently.

on 9/7/2006 Some landfills are not equipped to accept large amounts of liquids because they do not have the proper liner system in place. Check with your local landfill before disposing of cooking oil. Some landfills charge a fine if customers are caught dumping unacceptable items.

on 2/15/2006 Biodiesel is a great idea if you're making several million gallons per year and recovering excess methanol. It is an environmental disaster for thousands of backyard brewers to dump their excess methanol down the drain with their biodiesel wash water. Molar excess of methanol must be used to drive the reaction to biodiesel and glycerin. If excess is not recovered, it ends up in the sewer system or worse!

on 11/22/2005 Give your used oil to people who make Biodiesel. It helps improve the environment and help others save money with lower fuel prices.