How to Dispose of Processed Cooking Oil

Many great dishes are prepared by frying in oil, but cleaning up the oil is often quite a hassle. Once the oil has cooled, you need to decide whether to pour it out, reuse it, or donate it. You can pour cooking oil into an airtight jar before throwing it in the trash, take it out to a recycler to collect, or take it to a nearby restaurant for recycling. To safely dispose of cooking oil, remember not to pour it down the sink.

Table of Contents

Throw away cooking oil in the trash

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Cool the cooking oil before handling. To avoid the risk of burns, allow the oil to cool completely before disposing of it. Never lift a heavy pot full of hot cooking oil or dump hot oil in the trash. Depending on the amount of oil, you may need to wait a few hours for the oil to cool. ^{[1] X Research Source}

If needed, you can leave the oil out overnight.
If there’s only a little oil left in the pan, just wait for the oil to cool and wipe it off with a paper towel.

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Choose a non-fragile container with a tight-fitting lid. If you want to reuse cooking oil, be sure to use a clean container to store the oil. Although the glass jar is fine, it will break if you accidentally drop it. It is best to store cooking oil in a plastic jar with a screw-on lid like a peanut butter jar. Remember to label the jars in case others confuse them. ^{[2] X Research Source}

If you’re not planning on donating or reusing the oil, you can cut off the top of a soda can and pour cooking oil into it.

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Throw the used cooking oil in the trash. Seal the used cooking oil container and throw it in the trash. Avoid pouring cooking oil directly into the trash, as it will stain and attract rodents. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Freeze and scoop the oil into the trash. If you don’t have an airtight container, you can freeze the oil, for example, in the freezer for a few hours. Use a spoon to scoop out the oil and put it in the trash when the oil has solidified. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

You can also use a large cup to do this, but you’ll have to wash the cup with soap and water once you’ve disposed of the cooking oil.

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Pour cooled oil into a plastic garbage bag. Use a garbage bag that already has some trash in it. For example, you can use a trash bag filled with used tissues or discarded fruit and vegetable scraps. Pour the cooled cooking oil into the garbage bag to let the garbage soak up the oil. Tie the bag tightly and throw it in the trash. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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Do not pour oil into the sink. You should never pour cooking oil down the kitchen sink, because over time the oil will clog the drain pipe. Diluting the oil with soap also does not prevent the oil from sticking to the pipe walls. ^{[6] X Trusted Source State of New York Go to Source}

Severely clogged pipes can cause water to overflow and overflow, so remember to never dispose of oil by pouring it down the sink.

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Do not pour cooking oil into the compost pile. Don’t pour cooking oil used to make animal foods into your backyard compost pile. If you do, the cooking oil will attract rodents, reduce air circulation in the compost and slow down the decomposition process. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Reuse cooking oil

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Store cooking oil in an airtight container at room temperature. If you like to stock up on cooking oil to fill up the jar before you use it again, you can pour the oil into an airtight container. Store the jar of cooking oil in the kitchen cupboard at room temperature until needed.

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Filter the oil through a coffee filter before using it again. Place the coffee filter on the top of the oil container. Use an elastic band to secure the filter paper and slowly pour the oil through the filter paper. This step will filter out food particles and help the oil to be clearer. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Food particles in the oil can cause the oil to smell bad or go moldy.

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Reuse oil for food preparation. You can fry another batch of food with used cooking oil, but remember to only use food of the same type, because the oil always soaks up the smell of the fried food. For example, if it’s chicken oil, don’t use it to fry apple donuts. If you’ve used oil to make your dough balls or breadcrumbs, it will be difficult to remove the crumbs and flavors of food in the oil. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Vegetable frying oil usually has a neutral taste, so it is easiest to reuse.

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Avoid reusing cooking oil more than 2 times. If you filter and store the cooking oil properly, you can reuse it a few times. Test the oil before use and discard if it becomes cloudy, foamy, or has a foul odor. Never mix cooking oils together, and remove the oil after 1-2 uses. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Reusing cooking oil more than twice can lower the smoke point of the oil, so the oil will burn more easily. This also causes fats to release free radicals and harmful trans-unsaturated fatty acids.

Recycling cooking oil

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Contact the city to inquire about the recycling program. Call or go to the municipal government website that deals with the collection of used cooking oil. Some garbage companies even distribute old cooking oil containers for them to pick up. The local fire department can also accept used cooking oil. ^{[11] X Research Source}

In the US, the city where you live may collect cooking oil once or twice a year after Thanksgiving. You can ask about the day they collect cooking oil during the year.

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Donate used cooking oil. Ask restaurants or recycling programs in your area if you can bring cooking oil to them. Companies can produce biodiesel to fuel cars or manufacturing operations. You can go online and type in the phrase “donate cooking oil [name of the city you live in]” to find out where to dispose of used cooking oil. ^{[12] X Research Source}

In some cases, you may be able to get a tax deduction for donating cooking oil.

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Recycle all cooking oils. Most recycling centers can use all types of cooking oils to produce biodiesel. Ask before bringing cooking oil to the center, and remember not to mix cooking oil with any other liquid. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Some recycling centers have receptacles where you can pour cooking oil directly into them.

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Store cooking oil in a container until you recycle it. Pour cooking oil into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Choose a sturdy plastic bottle that won’t break if accidentally dropped. Leave cooking oil at room temperature until you take it to a recycling center or take it out to wait for a recycling company employee to collect it. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Advice

If you want to mix cooking oil in your pet’s food, you’ll need to consult your veterinarian before adding oil to their diet.

Things you need

Oil container
Coffee filter paper
Rubberband
Spoon
Trash can
Garbage bag

Steps

Throw away cooking oil in the trash

Reuse cooking oil

Recycling cooking oil

Advice

Things you need

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