Learn How to Properly Dispose of Fats, Oil, & Grease

Steps to Take When Disposing of Oil or Grease

• The proper way to dispose of grease is quite simple; throw it in the bin. However, you should not just throw it directly in your drain while it is still hot. The steps involved are;
• Let the oil cool and solidify: Hot oil can melt not only your trash can but the disposal cup it is placed in! Allow it to cool for several minutes before you throw it away.
• Scrape the grease into a container: Even when cool, you wouldn’t want grease or oil to mess up your trash can, making it difficult to empty. Scrape the oil with a spatula, and put it in a disposal cup or any other container.
• Carefully place the container in a plastic bag before throwing it away: Using a plastic bag prevents leakages from the container. The sides could still have some leftover oil, so give the container a good wipe before placing in the plastic bag.
• Wipe down all the cutleries and cooking utensils: Small amount of leftover grease from utensils are dangerous to your plumbing system. It would build up over time and can clog your drainage. Use a paper towel to wipe these utensils before washing them.

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How Not to Dispose of Cooking Oil and Grease

The trash can is the best way to dispose of cooking oil, but people often try to get rid of grease and cooking oil in other ways that are not advisable. Follow these important rules when disposing of grease:

1. Don’t Pour Oil Down the Drain

Pouring oil down the drain or toilet causes clogs in your home plumbing system and contributes to larger clogs in the municipal lines that can ultimately lead to thousands of dollars’ worth of damage.

Oil and grease may be liquid when hot, but will cool inside your pipes, congealing and gathering other oil particles. As the grease collection grows, it will prevent water from flowing through and cause it to back up into your kitchen and bathroom.

“Never pour cooking oil or grease down a drain. Hot cooking oil will solidify inside the drainpipe just like candle wax, which gradually decreases the diameter of the pipe with a greasy buildup until the pipe stops draining altogether.”

Paul Abrams | Roto-Rooter Services Co.

What if Grease Goes Down the Drain?

Accidents do happen when it comes to cooking oil disposal, especially when you have guests trying to help you tidy up after a holiday meal.

If grease or cooking oil does make its way into your sink, take immediate action with these tips from Roto-Rooter:

• Pour baking soda and white vinegar down the drain to clear some of the grease away.
• Try an enzyme-based drain cleaner, like Roto-Rooter’s Pipe Shield, which helps neutralize grease in both metal and PVC pipes.

If your sink is still slow, use a plunger to further dislodge the grease clog. Not having any luck with these fixes? Unfortunately, you will need to call a plumber.

2. Don’t Pour Used Cooking Oil Outside

Tossing your used cooking oil outside is not a proper way to dispose of grease. If you pour oil on the ground, it will eventually make its way into the sewer system and cause clogs there.

Additionally, animal or vegetable-based oils and greases can cause issues for wildlife when left outside, according to the EPA.

3. Don’t Dispose of Cooking Oil in Your Compost Pile

While small amounts of vegetable-based oils in your compost may be fine, a large amount will cause airflow and moisture issues, ruining your fertilizer.

Animal fats should be kept out of your compost pile because they will smell, attract vermin and cause other problems that could make your compost unhealthy. No matter what type of oil or grease you’re using, do not dispose of it in your compost pile.

2. Ask Local Restaurants

If you are looking for an easier solution closer to home, look no further than your favorite restaurant. Most restaurants have collection bins for their fryer grease, usually stored behind their restaurant next to their garbage collection containers. Most stores have their grease collected on a regular basis for free, and a lot of them receive an additional rebate check in the mail for the amount of grease they recycle. So a resident looking to dispose of their small amounts of cooking oil can ask local restaurants to add to their tanks as restaurants and supermarkets are paid by the weight of their used cooking oil.

Recycle Your Grease

This was something I certainly didn’t know about before researching this, so I imagine it’s something some of you didn’t know either. But, some communities actually offer a recycling initiative in which you can take any grease you have in jars or containers (stored using the method above, with paper towel filters to make sure it’s clean), and recycle it.

These recycling centers will use cooking oils and grease by turning it into biofuel, so you’ll also be doing your bit for the planet by taking it down there.

Not all recycling centers offer this, and certainly not every state, but call up your local waste management or recycling company to find out if there’s something you can do to recycle your grease.

It’s a great way to help the planet, and it also gets rid of your excess grease in a responsible way that won’t cost you any money or cause damage to your plumbing.

1. Outdoor Containers

MOPAC can provide several different outdoor containers, which are free with our service. Our containers are made for outdoor weather with 12 gauge steel for years of dependable service. Our smallest option is are a pair of 55 gallon drums that come with lids and locks to keep your used cooking oil clean and safe (grease thieves steal millions of dollars worth of grease annually). There are three different sizes for our outdoor tanks, from small, medium or large. The smallest is 110 gallons, the medium tank is about 200, and the large is 300 gallons. Tanks are best for restaurants or stores that have multiple fryers and are consistently changing their oil. These tanks are leak-proof and locked to keep your valuable used cooking oil safe with two ways to access and remove grease for our drivers. Just pour your used cooking oil into one of these containers after your restaurant is finished frying to help the environment, and your business too.

The Benefits of Recycling Lubricant Products

According to Advanced Auto Parts, recycling your oil is a positive practice for the environment. “It takes 42 gallons of crude oil to produce 2.5 quarts of lubricating oil. Compare that to only one gallon of recycled oil to produce the same 2.5 quarts.” That’s a 42:1 difference in volume needed to create the same product, and those 42 gallons of crude are energy intensive to extract, refine and manufacture, so contributing to and utilizing recycled oil is an environmental and economic boon. Properly removing and recycling used oil products keeps them out of our soil and our water, requires less energy to produce and keeps a perfectly viable resource in circulation.

How to Reuse Grease and Oil?

Not all used oil or grease should be thrown away. As long as it has been appropriately used and not heated to the smoke point, you can reuse it.

1. Firstly, sieve the semi-warm oil with paper towels or other filters. This is done to remove the particles that may still be in it.
2. Next, store the grease or oil in an air-tight container. Storing oil or grease in a fridge or freezer solidifies it till it becomes fat.
3. Test the solidified oil or grease to make sure that it is not rancid.

Final Words

So, these are the steps to take when disposing of oil in your home. You should follow them to prevent blocked drainage, sink, or sewage system. Whether you are using oil for cooking or you have just spilled grease on the ground, be smart and dispose of it properly in the trash can.

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