Plumbing Protection & Biofuel Recycling
Cooking Oil & Grease Disposal Guide
Pouring grease down the drain creates costly plumbing clogs and sewer fatbergs. Whether dealing with morning bacon grease or 5 gallons of holiday turkey fryer oil, follow these simple disposal and recycling steps.
Never pour warm cooking oil, bacon grease, or pan drippings down kitchen sinks or toilets. Grease cools in underground sewer pipes, binding with wet wipes and mineral deposits into rock-hard fatbergs that cause municipal sewage backups into basements.
For everyday skillet grease and bacon fat, pour warm grease into an empty soup can or glass jar. Place it in the freezer until it solidifies into a firm block, then scrape it directly into your regular trash bin or compost pail.
Deep-frying a whole holiday turkey requires 3 to 5 gallons of peanut or vegetable oil. Allow the oil to cool completely overnight, strain out food particles through cheesecloth, funnel it back into its original plastic jug, and take it to a city recycling depot.
Most municipal transfer stations and wastewater treatment plants maintain dedicated used cooking oil vats. Recycled cooking oil is collected and refined into clean-burning biodiesel fuel for municipal vehicles.
1. Let the fryer oil cool down completely for at least 8 to 12 hours. Never handle warm oil.
2. Place a funnel and fine mesh strainer or paper towel over the original plastic jug the oil came in.
3. Pour strained oil back into the jug, seal the screw cap, and take it to your municipal used cooking oil drop-off tank.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you put liquid cooking oil directly into regular trash?▼
No. Liquid oil sloshes, leaks from trash bags onto driveways, and squirts out under truck compactor pressure. Small amounts must be solidified; large amounts must be recycled.
How do you solidify cooking oil without a freezer?▼
Mix liquid oil with clay cat litter, baking soda, or commercial cooking oil solidifier flakes. Solidifier powders convert hot oil into an easy-to-scoop gelatinous block as it cools.
Does hot water and dish soap prevent grease from clogging pipes?▼
No. Dish soap temporarily breaks oil into smaller droplets, but the grease recongeals deeper down your home plumbing lateral or the city main line as the water cools.
How many times can you reuse turkey fryer peanut oil?▼
If strained of burnt food particles and stored in a cool, dark container, clean peanut frying oil can be safely reused 3 to 4 times within a few months.