How to dispose of cooking oil?

p>In short, using a superior extra virgin olive oil up to five times means getting the most out of a great product, ensuring quality in our dishes. And just as we take advantage of this resource from our kitchen, the next step is to make sure that we are respectful of the environment when it comes to its disposal. But what do we do with our used extra virgin olive oil?

2. How to dispose of used cooking oil.

When we have already used extra virgin olive oil several times to fry food and we want to discard it, the first step is to isolate it. To do this, you can follow these simple steps:

1. Let the leftover olive oil cool.
2. Store it in an airtight container.
3. Recycle this oil. But where?

3. Where (and where not) to dispose of the oil.

The truth is that throwing away extra virgin olive oil and, in general, any cooking oil in the wrong way, can be a danger to the environment. For this reason, it’s essential to know which is the best method to dispose of it and which are the worst. This means:

Avoiding pouring used oil down the sink.

On the one hand, this common act cannot only damage the environment but also the pipes in our home. Pouring the oil down the sink can cause breakdowns in the drain, generating blockages and even breaking our pipes due to the formation of grease balls. In addition, this oil can impair the operation of the treatment plants and cause overflows in the drains.

In the worst case, this oil can also reach rivers contaminating their waters, creating a film that prevents the oxygenation of the water and causes the suffocation of the living beings that inhabit them and also favouring the transmission of diseases that can affect the population. Therefore, it’s the worst option.

Also avoiding throwing this oil into the bin.

On the other hand, although we could use potentially hermetic containers or bottles to isolate and dispose of the oil in the organic bin, this isn’t a good option due to the problems it entails for the environment and the health of the flora and fauna.

You must think that these bottles will most likely end up broken in landfills and that their content, the oil, can be washed away by rainwater, seeping into the land and ending up in springs, natural water deposits, or the sea, thus damaging different ecosystems.

Then, dispose of your used oil in recycling centres.

Since the latter is not an option and hot water and soap won’t break down oils and fats from your pipe, the best option is to take the leftover oil to a recycling centre. This centre may accept used cooking oils and allow you to dispose of larger quantities where oil will be recycled properly.

From these clean points, the oil is accumulated and transferred to centres where its composition is determined and goes through recycling processes in which biofuels, waxes, detergents and soaps, paints and varnishes, and even candles can be obtained.