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How to Recycle Cooking Oil

How to Recycle Cooking Oil

Updated 5 March 2018 02:08 PM
Most people don’t realise that they should not pour cooking oil down the sink.

Too much cooking oil waste is poured down the sink, where it enters the water system and can be very dangerous to plants, animals and humans. Also, the oil grease sticks to pipes, eventually causing blockages. (This can particularly be a problem in older homes with smaller pipes.)

When cooking with small amounts of oil, get in the habit of pouring the oil into the garden and using soft paper to wipe out your pan before putting it into the sink or dishwasher. Small amounts of oil won't hurt your garden or lawn and the paper will soak up most of the oil and avoid it going down the sink. If you have a compost bin, this paper can go in.

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Science Notes
Just a couple of litres of oil can contaminate thousands of litres of fresh water, so don't pour litres of the stuff down your sink. Restaurants recycle and sell their cooking oil in bulk to recyclers who convert it into biodiesel.

If you deep fry often at home and have larger amounts of used oil, you might consider asking your local fish and chips shop if you can put your used oil in their used oil containers for commercial collection.

Related Tip
There are many creative uses for oil – add it to bird seeds along with a binder like peanut butter and leave it out for local birds. If you have chooks or pigs, mix it with other scraps you give them.

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