Content

• Steps
• Advice
• What you need

Many great dishes are prepared using the oil-frying method, but cleaning up the cooking oil is often quite troublesome. Once the oil has cooled, you need to decide whether to pour it away, reuse it, or donate it. You can put cooking oil in a sealed jar before disposing of it in the trash, take it out for a recycler to collect, or take it to nearby restaurants for recycling. To safely destroy cooking oil, make sure you do not pour it into the sink.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Throw away cooking oil in the trash

1. 

   Refrigerate cooking oil before handling. To avoid the risk of burns, let the oil cool completely before disposing of it. Never lift an entire pot full of hot cooking oil or pour hot oil into the trash. Depending on the amount of oil, it may take a few hours for the oil to cool.
   • If necessary, leave the oil out overnight.
   • If there is only a little oil left in the pan, just wait for the oil to cool and wipe it off with a paper towel.

2. 

   
   
   Choose a non-fragile container with a tight lid. If you want to reuse cooking oil, make sure to use a clean container to store the oil. Although the jar can be used, it will break if you drop it by accident. It is best to store cooking oil in a plastic jar with a screw cap like a peanut butter jar. Be sure to put a label on the bottle in case other people make mistakes.
   • If you're not planning to donate or reuse the oil, you can cut off the top of the soda can and pour cooking oil over it.

3. 

   
   
   Throw the used can of cooking oil in the trash. Seal the used cooking oil box and put it in the trash. Avoid pouring cooking oil directly into the trash, as it will stain and attract rodents.

4. 

   Freeze and scoop oil into trash. If you don't have a container that doesn't fit properly, you can freeze the oil, such as placing a full can of oil in the freezer for a few hours. Use a spoon to scoop out the oil and place it directly in the trash when the oil has hardened.
   • You can also use a large cup for this, but rinse the cup with soap and water once you've discarded the oil.

5. 

   
   
   Fill the plastic garbage bag with cold oil. Use a garbage bag that already has a little trash inside. For example, you can use a trash bag that holds used paper towels or scraps of vegetables. Pour cooled cooking oil into the garbage bag to allow the garbage to absorb the oil. Tie the bag tightly and throw it in the trash.

6. 

   Do not pour oil into the sink. Never pour cooking oil down the kitchen sink, because over time the oil will clog the drain. The oil dilution with soap also are not prevent oil from sticking to the wall of the tube.
   • Seriously clogged pipes can flood water and the sewage back up, so be sure to never dispose of oil by pouring it into the sink.

7. 

   Do not pour cooking oil into the compost pile. Do not put cooking oil used for animal foods into your backyard compost pile. If you do this, the cooking oil will attract rodents, reduce the ability to circulate air in the compost pile and slow down decomposition. advertisement

Method 2 of 3: Reuse cooking oil

1. 

   Store the cooking oil in a tightly closed jar at room temperature. If you prefer to store the cooking oil to refill the jar before reuse, you can refill it in a sealed container. Store the oil in the kitchen cabinet at room temperature until needed.

2. 

   Filter the oil through the coffee filter before reuse. Place the coffee filter over the top of the oil container. Use an elastic band to fix the filter paper and slowly pour the oil through the filter paper. This step will filter out food debris and make the oil clearer.
   • The food particles in the oil can cause the oil to smell or become moldy.

3. 

   Reuse oil for food preparation. You can fry another batch of food with used cooking oil, but be sure to only use the same type of food, as the cooking oil will always smell the fried food. For example, if it's chicken fried oil, don't use it to fry an apple donut. If you have used oil to prepare dough or bread crumbs, it will be very difficult to remove the crumbs and the taste of the food from the oil.
   • Vegetable frying oil often has a neutral taste, making it easiest to reuse.

4. 

   Avoid using cooking oil more than 2 times. If you filter and store the oil correctly, you can reuse it a few times. Check the oil before using it and discard it if it is cloudy, foamy or has a bad smell. Never mix cooking oils together, and remove the oil after 1-2 uses.
   • Reusing cooking oil more than twice can reduce the smoke point of the oil, so the oil will burn more easily. This also causes the fat to release harmful free radicals and metabolized unsaturated fatty acids.
   advertisement

Method 3 of 3: Recycle cooking oil

1. 

   Contact the city to inquire about its recycling program. Call or go to your municipal website to talk about collection of used cooking oil. Some garbage collection companies even distribute old cooking oil containers for them to pick up. The local fire department may also accept used cooking oil.
   • In the US, the city where you live can collect cooking oil once or twice a year after Thanksgiving. You can inquire about the date they collect cooking oil during the year.

2. 

   Take away the used cooking oil. Ask local restaurants or recycling programs to see if you can bring them cooking oil. Companies can produce biodiesel for fuel for cars or for manufacturing. You can go online to type in the phrase "donate cooking oil" to find a place to remove used cooking oil.
   • In some cases, you may receive a tax deduction when you donate cooking oil.

3. 

   Recycle all cooking oils. All recycling centers can use all types of cooking oil to produce biodiesel. Ask before bringing cooking oil to the center, and remember not to mix cooking oil with any other liquid.
   • Some recycling centers have bins that you can pour cooking oil into.

4. 

   Store cooking oil in the container until you go to recycle it. Pour cooking oil into a jar with a tight lid. Choose sturdy plastic jars that won't break if accidentally dropped. Keep cooking oil at room temperature until you take it to a recycling center or wait outside for collection by the recycling company staff. advertisement

Advice

• If you want to mix cooking oil with your pet's food, you will need to consult with your veterinarian before adding oil to his diet.

What you need

• Bottle of cooking oil
• Coffee filter paper
• Rubberband
• Spoon
• Trash can
• Garbage bag