What should I do with used cooking oil? I want to do what is best environmentally and practically?

Question

And I'm talking about all kinds of used cooking oil (vegetable, corn, olive, canola).

Answer 1

I just asked my brother and he said most towns and cities have a place for dropping off hazardous waste. Your best bet is too call your local township office and ask if they have any suggestions.

Answer 2

Back in the day when I was working in fast food service, there were companies that would go from place to place, collect the used oil and take it to a rendering plant. I think that the end product of this used cooking oil was cosmetics, maybe? You might check with local fast food places to see what they do with their used oils.

Answer 3

If you're talking about a pot of used oil from cooking fried chicken or french fries, you need to let it solidify before disposing it in the garbage. Mix cooking oil with an absorbent such as kitty litter or dirt to make the oil solid before throwing it away.

If you're talking about alot more than just a pot, you could always post online for anyone who's looking for bio-fuel for their cars. I'm not kidding, my friend installed a converter in his diesel powered VW jetta that uses oil to fuel the car. It converts cooking oil to some form of useable fuel for the car. It's wild.

Answer 4

A troubling little question, isn't it -and some really good answers to it, I see.

Matter of fact, the stuff that the "rendering" company picks up is used commercially as lubricant and may, for all I know, show up in your hair conditioner. But I know for a fact that machine shops use the suff as a coolant and lubricant when drilling or milling tough metal. Which explains why my faither-in-law's machine shop smelled like someone was frying up chicken and making french fries.

But let's assume you're talking about 3 or 4 times a year, and roughly a quart of the stuff at a time.

First of all, for bottled cooking oil, after you've used it -use it again. And again. Funnel the remaining oil back in the bottle. Try to clear as much junk out it as you can, but it needn't be crystal clear. And, whenever you fry potatoes, they'll clean out the old flavors from last time. You can't do this forever, because, for one thing, the food itself soaks up some oil each time so you have less for next time. And, in time, the oil does break down -which you'll note when it starts smoking sooner under heat. I get away with about 3 cycles. For the last use before getting rid of it, I make home made potatoes chips. Slice 'em as thin as you can and fry 'em up in that "dirty" oil. Yummy!

So now, let's say you have 1/2 cup left over after the final fry. You can either toss it (NOT down the drain! It'll clog!) OR add it to the new stuff for your next fry and then just toss (re-use, recycle -whatever) the empty bottle. Sure, you've added old to a new -but only just a little.

What about bacon grease? Refrigerate it in an empty container, and then, REMEMBER you have it! Use it to flavor soup, make gravy, or as the "oil" in a hot salad dressing recipe (melt the grease, add balsamic vinegar, garlic and spices, pour over salad and top with shredded parmesan).

Do you have a charcoal grill? Throw on the old grease or oil with the starter as extra fuel, or drop it on hot coals while grilling -yum! How about as starter for your wood stove kindling? (Soak newspaper in it).

The "Let Mikey try it" approach of mixing it with grain and setting it out for widlife is a good one, but beware you may attract wildlife that comes to think of you as their version of a fast food joint -and that can include racoons, bears, foxes and other critters who become a nuisance. Or, it may include the neighbor's pets which could be good or bad. That said, what you CAN do is to mix the old oil with cheap peanut butter, stirs in some bird seed and freeze portions to set out as bird food at places the other critters ca't reach.

I've used all theabove methods, and have yet to actually throw any old oil or grease away.

Answer 5

Feed to animals. We pour over commercial food or seeds for wild life and place in areas to watch the buffet.

Answer 6

If you call your local land fill facility they will tell you where to bring it to dispose of it properly, you can do the same with motor oil.

Answer 7

well it's probably not environmentally sound but I throw mine in the garbage. You can't put it in the toilet or the sink it will stop it up. What else are we supposed to do with it? Good question!

Answer 8

well my mother and myself, use old coffee cans, when i cooking i just take the crappy excese oil, and pour it in the can, its better then down the drain. and im reusing the can! and its clean too.

Answer 9

my brother who lives in the country, and burns paper, cardboard, and sticks that he gathers on his land, he uses it to start the fire, but if you live in the city, they have a place where you can take and it is recycled, call the waste department in your city or township

Answer 10

WONDER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ONE WOULD CONGEAL IT AND MIX IT INTO THE GROUND ? WOULD WORMS AND OTHER CRITTERS EAT IT ? A VERY GOOD QUESTION. I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER.