What To Do with Old Grease – Recycle Guide

When it comes to cooking and frying, you’re bound to have grease in your kitchen at some point.

These days, you can’t even make a batch of scrambled eggs without it.

But what do you do with old grease?

We’re glad you asked! We will guide you on what to do with old grease so that it doesn’t get down the drain, or find its way somewhere into your yard.

Naturally, some people will pour their old grease down the drain and let it go at that.

It seems like the easiest and least wasteful thing to do.

But don’t do this! You could get into a lot of trouble with your city or municipality if you do.

Grease sitting in your drain can build up and clog it, which is a big problem for the city maintenance system, especially when it comes to the bigger clogs that may lead to backups and flooding.

Not only is grease bad for sewers, but it is also bad for drains and septic tanks! So whatever you do, don’t pour your grease down the drain.

What to do with old grease

When we deep fry French fries, bacon, chicken, and turkey, we barely think of the old grease that is left behind, but it’s a huge problem.

If you’re clueless about what to do with your old and used grease, you may dispose of it in a way that’s not so ideal.

On that note, here are some ideas that may help you:

Throw it in the trash

It’s true that you can throw your unwanted grease in the trash alongside other household garbage.

However, there are things you must do first before tossing it in the trash can.

For starters, let it cool and solidify for a few minutes.

If you discard it while it’s still hot, it will burn and melt the plastic trash bag and cause an unwarranted mess.

And who wants that?

Obviously, you don’t.

Instead, pour your used grease into a container or bowl that’s lined with parchment paper.

Leave it alone to cool until it’s completely solidified.

Once you’re satisfied, lift it out and put it in a sealed plastic bag.

You can now throw it on top of your other household trash.

If you’re concerned about the stench and aroma, consider putting some pine needles or coffee grounds into the trash.

When throwing it out, remember to dispose of your grease in the actual garbage can that’s provided for in your neighborhood, not on the side of the road or in a nearby park.

The best thing about throwing it in the trash is that it’s super-cheap and you won’t have to worry about disposing of it at all.

Toss it in the compost

Now, this is a good way to dispose of your old grease, especially if you have a composting bin and can properly dispose of it in there.

In fact, you’ll make your own compost using old grease and a mixture of other organic kitchen wastes.

The best thing about this is that you will have compost to add to your garden once it’s done.

All you need is a composting bin to mix the waste with sawdust, dried leaves, yard trimmings, and some other items that are rich in nitrogen.

To get amazing results, we suggest avoiding meat and dairy products as these don’t decompose as quickly or easily and will most likely attract pests.

You may also consider chicken manure, fish scraps, and even the old grease itself if you’re making a bulk compost pile.

With that being said, only add small amounts of grease to your compost bin so that it doesn’t clog the natural breathing properties of the soil.

Reuse grease

You may have noticed that a lot of restaurants and cafes reuse grease from fryers for cooking.

This is a great idea since it’s less expensive than buying new grease, it’s more environmentally friendlier, and it also reduces the large amount of waste that would end up in a landfill if it wasn’t repurposed.

Take a page from the book of restaurants and reuse your old grease when cooking at home.

Reusing the grease instead of throwing it away can save you some money.

This is because you don’t have to buy as much grease for cooking, and you don’t have to throw away as much into the trash.

After frying, allow it to cool a bit and then strain it to get rid of some food particles from the previous cooking.

Now pour it into an airtight container for storage and place it in the refrigerator.

Use this stored grease to cook other meals for the next few days.

Though remember used grease might not actually last as long as you want it to even when put in a refrigerator.

It will likely go rancid after a few days so always sniff it before using it in a recipe.

Never use grease that smells sour, gummy and bad.

Donate old grease for biofuel production

Biofuel is a type of renewable alternative energy that is typically produced from organic waste.

In other words, it uses sugar or carby products as the raw materials and converts these into usable fuel.

Donating your used grease may be a good thing if you want to use it in this manner.

You don’t have to make one specific donation, but there are dozens of organic waste processing facilities throughout the country that will take your old grease for use as raw materials for biofuel production.

At a time when the world is faced with major climate change and oil-related problems, biofuels are becoming increasingly more important for the future of many nations.

Do your research and find licensed cooking oil and grease collectors in your area.

For them to even consider taking your grease, it should be in large amounts.

So, collect all your old and used grease and take it to a collection center in your area.

In return, they’ll sell it to biofuel manufacturers who will use it to create fuel.

Reuse grease to make soaps

Soap-making is a lucrative business that many people either do for fun or for profit.

This is because soap-making is a widely-used and relatively simple process that can be easily done for profit at home.

And if you have old grease that’s no longer usable for cooking, it’s the perfect material to make soap.

The process is fairly straightforward.

All you need is the old grease and a few other ingredients such as lye, glycerin and distilled water.

Now combine the ingredients and use it to make hard soaps that you can then sell to friends, families and local shops.

The best thing about this is that you can easily earn some cash out of your old grease!

Make candles

Candle-making is a surprisingly popular hobby and requires very simple and easy materials.

Many people make their own candles by following candle-making instructions on the Internet or learning at a local craft school.

However, if you have leftover grease, what better resource could you use than for making your own candles?

Making candles out of used grease is rather easy.

All you need are wax, dyes, and some additional ingredients to create your own unique scented candle.

So before you can even think of throwing out your used grease, think of how you can reuse it first!

Make lots of candles and sell them or gift them to friends and family for the holidays.

You can even charge extra for your homemade candles and make some extra cash, too.

Remember to have fun with this as it’s a great way to celebrate the holiday season with the people that you care about! Show the world how you can reuse waste grease and help save our planet from pollution and environmental degradation.

Soak it up using absorbent waste

Safe disposal of grease from restaurants and households is a major problem in many countries.

As noted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, we produce about three billion gallons of waste cooking oil every year in the US alone.

This is a lot of waste, and since it’s not discarded correctly, it often ends up clogging up the landfills and being a source of pollution for our environment.

With that being said, it’s possible to mix grease with other absorbent materials such as cat litter, sawdust, sand or flour before disposing of it safely.

This method basically turns the fatty and slippery grease into solid waste that’s easier to deal with.

In fact, you can throw this waste into the garbage can with all other household garbage.

Adding your used grease to sand or sawdust before disposing of it will make things easier for you and your environment.

Final Thoughts

So, we’ve taken a look at all the various ways you can reuse cooking grease and made sure that you’re well-equipped with everything you need to know.

You’ll learn that there are many things that you can do with grease instead of just throwing it away.

Remember to always keep your eyes open and think of greener alternatives when it comes to dealing with waste grease.

You might be surprised by how much money, time and energy you can save by going this route instead of the conventional way.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I dispose of old grease?

If you want to dispose of your old grease, the best thing you can do is to donate it to be used as raw materials for biofuel production.

This is a great and useful way to get rid of all your old grease in a sustainable manner.

However, if you are unable to do this then mixing it with sand or sawdust to turn it into solid waste would be another great alternative.

Can cooking grease be thrown away?

Yes, you can ideally throw your leftover grease into the garbage can.

However, you’ll need to cool it first and let it solidify.

From there, put it in a sealed container and then toss it into the trash.

Can you dump grease outside?

It is never recommended to dump grease outside.

Grease is bad for wildlife and the environment and therefore, you should always dispose of your waste grease responsibly.