When cooking an early-morning breakfast or preparing a large family meal, carefully washing your dishes and pans is the last thing you’re worried about. However, fats, oil, and grease (also known as FOG) can cause a significant problem for your plumbing system if you’re not careful. How?
Hot oil and grease may seem harmless, but these liquids will quickly solidify in your drains once they cool down. You risk creating a clog when you pour hot oil down your drains — even in small amounts. These blockages make it challenging to drain water out of your sinks and can even cause unsanitary water backups.
Fortunately, properly disposing of grease, oil, and fats isn’t a difficult task. Once you understand how to safely dispose of cooking grease, you can avoid clogged sinks and the inconveniences that come with them.
Where Is Cooking Grease Found?
Before we discuss how to safely dispose of cooking grease, it’s important that you know where cooking grease comes from. When you think of grease, you probably first imagine deep-fried foods and animal fat. However, you should also be aware that grease, oil, and fats can be found in sauces, butter, and other dairy products.
Whether you’re working with fried foods, vegetable oils, or bacon grease, these substances can all wreak havoc on your drains in the same way. It’s critical that you treat them all with equal care — even if one may seem less harmful than another. If it’s time to dispose of cooking oil, let’s go over what you should and shouldn’t do.
What Is the Best Way To Dispose of Grease?
You can get rid of cooking grease in several different ways, depending on how much of it you’re dealing with. If you have a small amount of grease on a plate, you can simply wipe it off with a paper towel and throw it in the trash can. While this might not be the best way to dispose of grease, it’s safe, easy, and guarantees that your drains will be clog-free. However, if you have a large amount of oil in your frying pans, you’ll want to be a bit more careful in your approach.
First, let the grease cool down. Once it has solidified, you’ll want to scoop it into a sealable container or metal can. It’s also a good idea to wrap the container in a plastic bag to keep any grease from seeping out and causing an unwanted mess. After everything has been wiped clean and sealed, you can throw the container in the trash.
When learning how to safely dispose of cooking grease, there’s one overarching rule to keep in mind: don’t pour it down the drain. Once this rule is committed to memory, you can help keep your drains running as smoothly as possible. That way, you can avoid calling a Jackson plumbing expert for a drain cleaning service.
Can You Dump Grease Outside?
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to safely disposing of grease, oils, and fats. As a result, you may be gazing out your window and asking yourself, “Can I dump grease outside?” The short answer to this question is no. This is certainly not the best way to dispose of grease — nor is it one that you should consider in the first place. Cooking grease doesn’t have any added benefits for your compost pile and has the potential to cause more harm than good.
Cooking fats and grease can seep into the ground and cause problems for your sewer system. These substances might also attract animals into your yard, including rats. If you don’t like the idea of throwing grease into your trash can, however, you may be glad to find out that it can be recycled.
How to Recycle Cooking Grease
Did you know that used cooking oil can be used to produce biodiesel fuel? Some donation centers will also take your used materials if you don’t feel comfortable handling them; these facilities know how to safely dispose of cooking grease and are committed to keeping fats and oils from seeping into the ground and contaminating the water. You can contact your local waste management facility to see if they collect old cooking oil, or you can use online resources to find a recycling center near you.
The City of Jackson Recycling
(601) 960-0000
1570 University Blvd, Jackson, MS 39204
Tues. & Thurs. 8:00 am – 3:30 pm
Avoid a Plumbing Disaster With a Drain Cleaning From Environment Masters!
As a homeowner, it’s easy to overlook your drains when they’re functioning as they normally should. However, drain clogs can happen at the most unexpected times — and usually cause a lot of frustration in the process.
Now that you know the best way to dispose of grease, it’s time to reflect on your past disposal attempts. Have you been pouring grease or oil down the drain and think you now have a drain clog on your hands? Environment Masters offers drain cleaning solutions that will have your drains running smoothly in no time. Our Jackson plumbers understand how to safely dispose of cooking grease and offer hydro jetting services. We are here to ensure that your drains are cleaned thoroughly. Contact us today to schedule an appointment!
