Let used frying oil cool completely, then put it in a container with a lid and take it to a waste-oil collection point. Do not pour it down the sink or toilet: oil that seems liquid while hot cools and solidifies inside the pipes, sticks to their inner surfaces, and eventually causes clogs. Wipe small amounts of oil left in the pan into paper and throw it away.
There may be no problem while oil flows down the sink; the real trouble happens inside the pipe. Hot oil is fluid, but as it cools in the drainpipe, it thickens and sticks to the inner surface in a thin layer. This layer catches food scraps and crumbs coming behind it and gets a little thicker with every pour of oil. Hot water and detergent only carry the oil a little farther; the oil solidifies again where it cools. The toilet is connected to the same pipes and causes the same result. A clog develops over time, not all at once, so even small amounts of oil matter.
The first step is to let the oil cool. When frying is done, take the pot off the burner and leave the oil in its own vessel until it has cooled to a temperature you can touch; handling hot oil can cause burns and spills. Transfer the cooled oil with a funnel into a container with a lid; an empty oil bottle or glass jar works. Thin plastic containers soften and change shape with hot oil, so fill them only after the oil has cooled completely. If you do not have a funnel, place folded paper over the container opening and pour the oil slowly. Close the lid tightly and wipe the outside.
If only a small amount of oil comes from one frying session, you can collect it in the same container and take it in when the container is full. Waste-oil collection points are available in many communities, and their rules vary by location; the most accurate information comes from announcements by your local area. Keep the collected oil in a shaded spot with the lid closed. The container is for oil only; do not mix in wash water, sauce, or food scraps, and throw crumbs strained from the pan in the trash. Put the container in a bag when taking it for drop-off; if the lid is not fitted securely, oil can leak on the way.
You do not need a separate container for the thin film of oil left in a pan. Once the pan has cooled, wipe it with a paper towel and throw the towel away; this also reduces oil going down the sink with the wash water. Dispose of solid fats you no longer need the same way: when cold, scrape them out with a spoon, wrap them in paper, and throw them away. Absorbing oil into paper is only for small amounts; a potful of oil will soak through and leak from a trash bag, so do not pour it into the trash—take it in a container.
There are a few other common misconceptions about where oil should go. Oil poured into a garden or onto the ground does not disappear; it leaves a greasy layer on the soil’s surface. Pouring oil into a street storm drain moves the same pipe problem somewhere else. It is also not right to throw oil in the trash in an uncovered container; if the container tips over, oil spreads through the bag and trash can. The rule is simple: cool the oil, put it in a container with a lid, and take it to a collection point; absorb small amounts into paper and throw them away.
Comments (3)
Mahallemizde atık yağ toplama noktası yok, belediyeye sorsam veriyorlar mı acaba?
Belediyelerin çoğu atık yağ topluyor ve talep edildiğinde bidon veriyor; çağrı merkezinden sorulabiliyor. Bazı marketlerin girişinde de toplama kutuları bulunuyor.
Kapaklı kavanozda biriktirip aylık götürüyorum, soğutmadan kapatınca kavanoz buğulanıyor.
Lavaboya döktüğüm için gider tıkanmıştı, tesisatçı borudaki tabakayı gösterince inandım. Beyazımsı, sabun gibi sert bir kabuk olmuş. O günden beri yağı cam kavanozda biriktiriyorum, ama itiraf edeyim ilk aylarda alışmak zor oldu.