How To

How to Dispose of Used Cooking Grease

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(61 Ratings)

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. Step 1

    Allow the oil to cool completely before disposing of it.

  2. Step 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. Step 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. Step 4

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

  5. Step 5

    Take large amounts of cooking oil to the local landfill.

  6. Step 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. Step 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.

Comments  

| View All 7 Comments

vegiesel said

Flag This Comment

on 7/15/2009 Discarding used cooking oil can be an environmental headache. Following the directions listed above in this article will keep you green. If you live in the Yakima Washington area, there is a new company that will take care of your used cooking oil for you. They will even come to you and pick it up. The oil is filtered with a centrifuge system. The cleaned oil is used as fuel for heating, power generation and vehicles. The "waste" from that process is used as fertilizer. Be responsible with your used cooking oil, and in Yakima contact: vegiesel@aol.com

kimberha1 said

Flag This Comment

on 7/14/2009 Use the g-spout a new kitchen gadget absolutely wonderful for straining off the hot bacon grease or hamburger fat straight into container for proper disposal. Not only is it great for this its great for pouring cupcakes, muffins and pancake batter, 100's of uses watch the video and purchase at http://www.gspout.com

twoods196 said

Flag This Comment

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

dclonch1 said

Flag This Comment

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.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

Flag This Comment

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.

Post a Comment

Post a Comment
  • Have you done this? Click here to let us know.
I Did This

Related Ads

Food & Drink
Bethenny Frankel,

Meet Bethenny Frankel eHow's Food & Drink Expert.

Get Free Food & Drink Newsletters

Copyright © 1999-2009 eHow, Inc. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the eHow Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.   en-US

eHow Food and Drink
eHow_eHow Food and Drink