Deep-frying your holiday turkey? Roasting your veggies in bacon grease for actress flavor? While cooking oil and grease can add a savory gustatory modality to any repast, they can also brand a real mess in your kitchen. Make sure y'all know what to practice with it afterwards cooking, considering incorrectly disposing of cooking oil and grease tin take expensive consequences, like an emergency holiday call to a plumber.

Proceed reading to learn how to properly dispose of grease and oil after cooking (and what not to do).

How to Dispose of Bacon Grease and Oil the Right Mode

The best way to get rid of cooking oil and grease is simple – throw information technology in the trash. Follow these steps to learn the safest mode to dispose of these hot liquids:

  • Let the oil or grease cool and solidify.
  • Once cooled, scrape the grease into a container that tin can exist thrown away.
  • When the container is full, place it in a plastic bag to foreclose leakage and and so throw information technology in the garbage.

Once you've gotten rid of about of the grease, use a paper towel to wipe down all pots, pans and dishes that came into contact with the oil earlier rinsing them in the sink. Even small-scale amounts of leftover grease are dangerous to your plumbing because it will build up over fourth dimension.

How to Dispose of Oil Infographic

"Go on in mind that grease in drains, combined with food scraps from big meal preparation, is what makes our phones ring off the hook the mean solar day after Thanksgiving. That's why it'south our busiest day of the year."

Paul Abrams | Roto-Rooter Services Co.

Cooking Oil in Deep Fryer

What to Do With Oil Later on Cooking

Not prepare to throw away the oil just yet? Fats can be reused or recycled to give them second life.

Reuse Your Cooking Oil at Home

Every bit long as it has been cooked correctly and not heated past its smoke point, you can take steps to reuse your oil and fats. To reuse cooking oil:

  • Strain the semi-warm oil using a cheesecloth, paper towels or coffee filters to remove any nutrient particles.
  • Store in an air tight container in the fridge, freezer or other absurd dark identify.
  • Exam the cooking oil before using past smelling information technology to make certain it's not rancid.

You lot can reuse oil for deep frying, pan frying, sautéing and baking. After a few uses or when the oil goes bad, be sure to dispose of cooking oil in the trash can, as instructed above.

Recycle Your Cooking Oil at a Local Collection Site

Some municipalities collect used kitchen grease and oil for recycling. Use this recycling locator to detect a facility nigh you. By using this option for cooking oil disposal, you volition keep your grease out of the landfill and turn information technology into a class of alternative energy, similar biodiesel.

To recycle your oil:

  • Strain the oil to remove food particles.
  • Shop in a sealable container.
  • Evangelize information technology to your local collection site.

When you're recycling through a collection facility, yous can commonly mix different kinds of oils and fats together in i container unless your drove site tells you differently. The collection container does non need to exist refrigerated, and then this is an piece of cake way to get rid of cooking oil and grease.

Grease and Oil Build-Up Reducing the Diameter of Pipe

Source: Roto-Rooter

How Non to Dispose of Cooking Oil and Grease

The trash tin can is the all-time way to dispose of cooking oil, but people oftentimes attempt 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 Bleed

Pouring oil downwards the drain or toilet causes clogs in your home plumbing organisation and contributes to larger clogs in the municipal lines that tin can ultimately lead to thousands of dollars' worth of impairment.

Oil and grease may be liquid when hot, only will cool inside your pipes, congealing and gathering other oil particles. As the grease collection grows, it will foreclose h2o from flowing through and cause information technology to back upwardly into your kitchen and bath.

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

Paul Abrams | Roto-Rooter Services Co.

What if Grease Goes Downwardly the Drain?

Accidents do happen when it comes to cooking oil disposal, peculiarly when you have guests trying to help you tidy up subsequently 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 abroad.
  • Endeavour an enzyme-based drain cleaner, similar Roto-Rooter's Pipe Shield, which helps neutralize grease in both metal and PVC pipes.

If your sink is nonetheless wearisome, use a plunger to further dislodge the grease clog. Not having any luck with these fixes? Unfortunately, y'all will need to phone call a plumber.

ii. Don't Pour Used Cooking Oil Outside

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

Additionally, animal or vegetable-based oils and greases can crusade bug for wild fauna 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 crusade airflow and moisture issues, ruining your fertilizer.

Animal fats should exist kept out of your compost pile considering they volition scent, attract vermin and crusade other bug that could make your compost unhealthy. No matter what blazon of oil or grease you're using, exercise not dispose of it in your compost pile.

Minimizing Effects on Your Household While Maximizing Taste

Whether you're cooking a large holiday meal or frying upwards breakfast, be smart with excess grease by disposing of it properly in your trash can or recycling it for future use. Unless you lot desire to invite your local plumber over for dessert, ever avoid pouring oil downwardly the drain.

For more holiday tips, bank check out these posts:

  • How to Dispose of a Christmas Tree