So… What are you supposed to do with oil if not pouring it down the drain?
Anon has a question
Submitted 1 year ago by MacNCheezus@lemmy.today to greentext@sh.itjust.works
https://lemmy.today/pictrs/image/d37a94c5-35ef-4986-9efc-a184f5c66941.jpeg
Comments
SorteKanin@feddit.dk 1 year ago
SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Take it to the recycling center. Even just tossing it into the trash is better than pouring it down the drain. If you toss it in the trash it will just get incinerated. If you pour it down the drain it can clog the sewage system.
Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
“it will just get incinerated”
Look at you, living in a country where they actually do something with trash instead of just accumulating it in a huge field
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
You have incinerators in your area? Everything in my area is landfill, so it will eventually become dirt.
rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Drink it.
officermike@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Take it to your local recycling center, if they have the means to collect it.
SplashJackson@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
Put it on the doorhandles of the neighbours you don’t like
herrvogel@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I pour it into the cowl vents of cars that were parked by assholes, but only when I’m out of eggs to crack in there instead.
CorrodedCranium@leminal.space 1 year ago
I’ve heard you can use it to lubricate outdoor-facing hinges
Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 1 year ago
There are ways to make it harden for bin disposal, but if I’m feeling cheeky I just put used oil back in the plastic jug once it’s cooled down and bin that
superkret@feddit.org 1 year ago
There are ways to make it harden for bin disposal
That’s the worst pickup line I ever heard.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I save the plastic grocery store bags and use those. Since they frequently have holes, I double or sometimes triple bag it, depending on how nasty the oil is and how much I’ll regret not taking the time later if it seeps into my garbage bin.
NoneYa@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Pour it in the city water reservoir
Itsamelemmy@lemmy.zip 1 year ago
If small amounts of oil that hardens when at room temp, like bacon fat. Throw it in a tin can to cool, garbage when the can fills. Oil that doesn’t harden, personally I put a bunch of dish soap into the oily pan to absorb the oil and wash it down the sink. Not sure if the dish soap does enough but seems safe to me.
If its a large amount, like for deep frying. Local recycling might take it. I know curbside pickup will take used motor oil for me, so I imagine they’d take fryer oil too.
TragicNotCute@lemmy.world 1 year ago
absorb the oil
That’s not how that works. You’re wrecking your pipes.
Wild_Mastic@lemmy.world 1 year ago
put a bunch of dish soap into the oily pan to absorb the oil
all science people are in pain right now
TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Everyone else is upset about absorbing the oil. I’m way more upset that you’re throwing out perfectly good bacon grease that can be used in any number of dishes.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
- bacon fat isn’t oil, it’s fat
- keep the bacon fat for cooking later, it’s amazing - just cover the tin and stick in in the fridge, it keeps really well
- if it’s a little bit of oil, first wipe with a paper towel, then wash with soap
- if it’s a lot of oil, I double-bag w/ plastic grocery bags and throw in the garbage; it’ll break down at the landfill
I wish our recycling took oil, but I’m not convinced they even recycle the things they do take. It’s definitely worth checking though.
pigup@lemmy.world 1 year ago
You can use this to turn it into napalm: Waste Cooking Oil Powder (pack of 6) a.co/d/3WIT6Ff
Damage@feddit.it 1 year ago
Take it to the recycling center? Here they recently introduced a few oil dumpsters as well
sigmaklimgrindset@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
My city actually has us pouring our oil in the compost bins. But in ye olde days, my parents would collect all the oil in the big yogurt containers/milk jugs and then throw it in the trash.
stom@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
This should only be done for vegetable based oils.
GJdan@programming.dev 1 year ago
What on earth are you all cooking to have so much oil left over that you can pour it into anything?
Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
For me it’s mostly the deep fryer. When I change the oil it takes about 4 1/2 liters to refill.
GJdan@programming.dev 1 year ago
That makes sense, I didn’t imagine that many people bother deep frying at home, but I guess I’m wrong :D
But in this case people are describing adding a little oil to a bottle at a time where with deep frying you could fill a bottle every time I think.
Whelks_chance@lemmy.world 1 year ago
My parents could keep that going for a good long time by filtering it through a few layers of kitchen paper, it got rid of a lot of the burnt stuff, came out quite clear each time.
bizzle@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I just got a deep fryer literally two days ago how often should I change the oil?
hydroxycotton@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Have you every heard of the method of cooking called frying?
GJdan@programming.dev 1 year ago
Sure, but not usually with enough oil to pour out of the pan after cooking.
psud@aussie.zone 1 year ago
I don’t call it oil since it’s solid at room temperature, but if you fry meat you’ll liberate fat (dripping)
GJdan@programming.dev 1 year ago
Meat! I was forgetting about meet…
riodoro1@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Yeah, like what the fuck. People here really think that you can’t fry with just enough oil.
filcuk@lemmy.zip 1 year ago
Well, not normally, but for example crispy breaded anything should be dunked in oil at least half way.
Pringles@lemm.ee 1 year ago
I did that once, I was staying at a family as an exchange student and immediately forced to help with chores. Now, they ran a large creche from that house so there were a lot of different chores and being on dishes could mean slaving away in the kitchen for well over an hour.
Anyway, I didn’t know shit about how to properly dispose of oil and in the first or second week poured a large pan of oil down the drain. It ended up ruining some stuff and they had a hefty repair bill. I may be cynical, but I never gave a damn about it as they were basically using me as free labor anyway. Helping with household chores = ok. Helping clean up the gigantic daily mess of those shitty kids in your shitty creche = not ok
brbposting@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
sigmaklimgrindset@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
Isn’t a crèche that thing Lae’zel kept yapping on about in Baldur’s Gate?
Flax_vert@feddit.uk 1 year ago
You’re looking at the wrong definition. It was very clearly a re-enactment of the birth and incarnation of our Lord through our Lady
Linnce@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Zipitydew@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Ken M vibes
Etterra@lemmy.world 1 year ago
We had a grease can under the sink when I wasgrowing up. My fiancee and I use an old jar. I can’t believe people didn’t know better. They probably think it’s fine to dump car fluids in the storm drain too. Idiots.
LinusSexTips@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Plenty of auto shops in my area will take car oils free of charge. Same with the tip, bottle it up and drop it off on the next tip run.
waz@lemmy.world 1 year ago
The shop I worked in, and I assume most other shops in a cold climate, had a waste oil furnace. We’d save oil all summer, and it would keep the shop warm all winter.
BackOnMyBS@lemmy.autism.place 1 year ago
I keep a container for used cooking oil along with old motor oil. Whenever it starts getting full, I take it to the local auto parts store for recycling.
Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Mixed? Motor oil should be recycled at the auto parts store, but different people people used vegetable oil. Worse case, you could throw out the veg oil. It will biodegrade in the landfill better then most of the stuff that ends up there
BackOnMyBS@lemmy.autism.place 1 year ago
Oh shoot. I did not know that. I just called to make sure, and they confirmed that they do not take cooking oil of any kind.
Thanks for letting me know! 🙂👍
Assman@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Idc if this is dumb, I pour it in a bucket and when it’s full I dig a hole in the back yard and pour the oil in there and bury it. I do this 1-2 times a year.
Zozano@lemy.lol 1 year ago
You’re begging the US Army to liberate your yard.
Afghaniscran@feddit.uk 1 year ago
Depends on the oil but cooking oil is organic material so it shouldn’t be an issue.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
It would get pretty stinky.
Cordyceps@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
Honestly not the worst idea now I think about it. I have been using the paper towel soak method, but this could actually be less wasteful and easier on the organic composter. Thanks for the tip!
dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I have a small bucket filled with sawdust that I use to store used cooking oil. Bucket stays in the garage as it’ll eventually go rancid. When it does, it gets thrown into the trash. The resulting mess is still greasy, but not runny. The key here is that soaking it this way limits the mess that can happen if it’s knocked over; sawdust is what you use to clean an oil spill anyway.
Wood-based cat litter would also work for this. It’s just compressed sawdust pellets^1^.
^1^ - very likely made in the same fashion as pellet stove fuel, so that might work too.
Noobnarski@lemmy.world 1 year ago
If you have a metal bowl that you no longer need, you can put a roll of toilet paper in there and then douse the whole thing in cooling oil.
Once ignited you will have a stinky lamp, so I would only recommend doing this outside.
superkret@feddit.org 1 year ago
What a waste of perfectly good lube.
NuWuX@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I just drink it.
FiskFisk33@startrek.website 1 year ago
this kindof, but more serious.
Unless we’re talking deep frying, the cooking fat makes for a perfect base for a sauce. With some flour and some stock you have the beginnings of something beautiful, such a waste just throwing it away.
ICastFist@programming.dev 1 year ago
I’ll usually wipe the oil with some paper so I can throw it on the trash. Many moons ago, my family used to collect the oil to make soap at home. Last time I recall seeing that was some 30-ish years ago.
ZarkleFarkle@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Coming at this from more of a common sense angle, I was always told oil doesn’t go down the sink. For most people, it ends up in the normal rubbish.
Putting oil in the normal rubbish seems like it would have basically no issues at all. I think it would either be incinerated or end up in a landfill. If the energy from burning rubbish is being harvested (it might not be) then I would think the oil would help and that could be a useful way to recycle it.
If it ends up in a landfill, I don’t see any problem with a bit of oil being buried with other junk. A lot of people seem to be saying they would bury it anyway.
The only real concern would be if you have a lot of oil and you’re worried about your bin leaking or something. If you put most oil immediately into the bin then this shouldn’t really be an issue.
Of course if you just have a few little drops of oil in with a bunch of water then you would probably pour that in the sink anyway and it would most likely be fine.
Collecting stuff in a bucket, making soap or using it for something else seems like a lot of hassle to mitigate quite minor concerns. Most people don’t have a serious use for a bucket of used cooking oil.
Someone please correct me if I’m wrong about any of this.
Kashmir@midwest.social 1 year ago
Use paper towels to soak it up if it’s a small amount.
todd_bonzalez@lemm.ee 1 year ago
I put my oil in a bucket with lye, and then dump it down the sink after it soapifies.
This keeps my pipes and my garbage can grease-free.
I am sure someone will have some insight into why this is a bad solution.
CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I am sure someone will have some insight into why this is a bad solution.
😂 Assuming you live in a city with sewer, idk how detrimental it would be…never really thought about it. And sewer stuff, it’s so toxic, and there are facilities dedicated to dealing with it.
I live out in the country, with a septic system. This septic system is a living organism of sorts; it contains bacteria & other life that helps to break down my shit, piss, etc. Idk how good introducing a bunch of this soap into the septic tank would be. Maybe it’s harmless… Or maybe it’ll kill all the buggies.
I do know that if you feel your septic tank is a little ‘sluggish’, lacking in activity, you flush some raw chicken skin down your toilet & that’s supposed to help. 🙂
ikidd@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Oils in a septic tank are a poor idea. It floats, so it never gets pumped out as effluent, and it builds up in the tank. When you get the tank pumped, it should go away then as the pumper guy will usually stir it up enough to get all the oils and solids, but in the meantime it’s there interfering with the bugs.
DSTGU@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
I believe oil argument has little to do with sewers/septic tanks. It s just that oil may clog your pipes
agentshags@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Collect in in a jug and use it for the burn pile lol
PixeIOrange@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I built a wick holder and have now free candles :D
Doom@ttrpg.network 1 year ago
don’t they stink?
PixeIOrange@lemmy.world 1 year ago
No. I filter it through a coffee filter and it smells neutral
lath@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Glorious grease fire!
count_dongulus@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Ken M
KrapKake@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Just wait for it to cool and solidify then scrape it off into the trash.
Death_Equity@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Are you thinking of fat?
MeaanBeaan@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Pour it in a jar. Wait for it to cool a little (but not enough to solidify) then dump it in the trash.
RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Or just wait for it to cool and toss the whole jar away. And that way there’s not just a ton of liquid oil in your trash can.
Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 1 year ago
If you have a fireplace, used cooking oil burns great.
Death_Equity@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I hope you get your chimney cleaned often because that flue probably looks bituminous otherwise.
BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Why? (Honest question, seems like a good PSA type moment)
MacNCheezus@lemmy.today 1 year ago
How’s the smell though?
Tyfud@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Like French fries
Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 1 year ago
I didn’t notice a smell, all the smoke goes up the chimney obviously.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Also a great firestarter if you like to go camping.
Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 1 year ago
As a 90s kid, I prefer a more twisted firestarter.