Cooking oil and grease make our foods tastier and more savory, there’s no denying that. You can reuse the oil in your next cooking session to add flavor to your dish. However, the aftermath of frying, roasting, or grilling foods with oil and grease can be quite a mess.
Some recommend reusing cooking oil or grease up to three-time. After that, you have to dispose of it and replace it with a new one the next time you cook. But if you are about to throw away that used oil down the drain, don’t do it! Or else, you would have to call a professional plumber to fix your clogged drain later on.
What is the right way to dispose of cooking oil and grease?
Not disposing of oil and grease correctly can lead to a messy consequence and end up calling a plumber due to a clogged drain. According to experts, the best way to dispose of cooking oil and grease is by throwing them in the trash bin.
But before doing this, make sure to wait until the oil or grease cools and solidifies. After cooling, scrape the solidified oil and place it in a disposable container. Put the container in a plastic bag so it won’t leak before throwing it in the trash bin.
Before washing the dishes, pots, and pans in the sink, wipe the grease off them first using a paper towel. Small amounts of oil and grease remnants can accumulate over time and cause havoc to your kitchen plumbing.
What NOT to do with used cooking oil and grease
By now, you already know that the best way to dispose of used oil and grease is by throwing them in the garbage. Make sure to let it cool and solidify first before disposing of it. Other than that, here are important reminders when dealing with used oil and grease.
Don’t throw used oil outside.
Never toss your used oil outside, whether on the cemented pavement or the lawn area. Not only will it cause a mess but also will make its way into the sewage system and cause clogging. Throwing away used oil outdoors is not environment-friendly and causes damage to plants and wildlife.
Don’t dispose of oil in the compost pile.
Throwing oil and grease in the compost pile is not a good idea, either. Small amounts of it might work, but dumping the entire thing in your compost pit can ruin your fertilizer. Also, it can attract vermin, smell bad, and make your compost pile not good as fertilizer.
Don’t pour oil down the drain or toilet.
This is the biggest mistake you will ever make. Doing this will clog your drains and pipes and even affect municipal pipe lines and cause damage worth thousands of dollars. Hot cooking oil will harden inside the pipes, hence causing the dreaded clogging.
But in case grease gets accidentally thrown down the drain, you can do these remedies:
- Pour white vinegar and baking soda down the drain to get rid of the clogging.
- Use a commercial de-clogger or cleaner to remove the oil and grease down the pipes.
- If all else fails, better call a professional plumber in Franklin TN for your pipe and drain problems.
