Anon has a question

If you have a fireplace, used cooking oil burns great.
- I hope you get your chimney cleaned often because that flue probably looks bituminous otherwise.
  
  Why? (Honest question, seems like a good PSA type moment)
- How's the smell though?
  
  Like French fries
  
  I didn't notice a smell, all the smoke goes up the chimney obviously.
- Also a great firestarter if you like to go camping.
  
  As a 90s kid, I prefer a more twisted firestarter.

So... What are you supposed to do with oil if not pouring it down the drain?
- 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.
  
  "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
  
  You have incinerators in your area? Everything in my area is landfill, so it will eventually become dirt.
- Take it to your local recycling center, if they have the means to collect it.
- Drink it.
- Put it on the doorhandles of the neighbours you don't like
  
  I pour it into the air intake vents of cars that were parked by assholes, but only when I'm out of eggs to crack in there instead.
  
  I've heard you can use it to lubricate outdoor-facing hinges. Might work well for squeaky fence gates
- 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
  
  There are ways to make it harden for bin disposal
  That's the worst pickup line I ever heard.
  
  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.
- You can use this to turn it into napalm: Waste Cooking Oil Powder (pack of 6) https://a.co/d/3WIT6Ff
- Take it to the recycling center? Here they recently introduced a few oil dumpsters as well
- 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.
  
  This should only be done for vegetable based oils.
- 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.
  
  absorb the oil
  That’s not how that works. You’re wrecking your pipes.
  
  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.
  
  put a bunch of dish soap into the oily pan to absorb the oil
  all science people are in pain right now
  
  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.

What on earth are you all cooking to have so much oil left over that you can pour it into anything?
- For me it's mostly the deep fryer. When I change the oil it takes about 4 1/2 liters to refill.
  
  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.
  
  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.
  
  I just got a deep fryer literally two days ago how often should I change the oil?
- I don't call it oil since it's solid at room temperature, but if you fry meat you'll liberate fat (dripping)
  
  Meat! I was forgetting about meat...
- Have you every heard of the method of cooking called frying?
  
  Sure, but not usually with enough oil to pour out of the pan after cooking.
- Yeah, like what the fuck. People here really think that you can’t fry with just enough oil.
  
  Well, not normally, but for example crispy breaded anything should be dunked in oil at least half way.

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
- creche
  noun
  Alternative form of crèche.
  JK,
  was it penguins or bats?
  
  Isn't a crèche that thing Lae'zel kept yapping on about in Baldur's Gate?
  
  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
  
  I've got this result from google

Ken M vibes

~~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.~~
Do not take cooking oil to an Advanced Auto Parts for recycling. They do not accept that. If you'd like other options, a quick internet search will let you know what you can doodoo brown 🕺
- 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
  
  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! 🙂👍

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.
- 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.
  
  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.

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.
- You're begging the US Army to liberate your yard.
- Depends on the oil but cooking oil is organic material so it shouldn't be an issue.
  
  It would get pretty stinky.
- 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!
  Edit: Ok so I dug into this a bit more (no pun intended), and seems its not the best idea due to the oil potentially seeping into groundwater.

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 pellets¹.
Edit: I have not looked into donating it as biodiesel. That would probably be a somewhat more green option.
¹ - very likely made in the same fashion as pellet stove fuel, so that might work too.

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.

I just drink it.
- 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.

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.

What a waste of perfectly good lube.

Use paper towels to soak it up if it's a small amount.

- 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. 🙂
  
  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.
  
  I believe oil argument has little to do with sewers/septic tanks. It s just that oil may clog your pipes

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.

I built a wick holder and have now free candles :D
- don't they stink?
  
  No. I filter it through a coffee filter and it smells neutral
  
  If the only grease you need to get rid of is bacon grease, it'll smell like delicious bacon 🤤

Collect in in a jug and use it for the burn pile lol

Glorious grease fire!

Ken M

Just wait for it to cool and solidify then scrape it off into the trash.
- Are you thinking of fat?
  
  This is what I do with fat. With cooking oil, it's only a tiny bit at a time, I don't deep fry. I pour it out in the lawn.

Pour it in a jar. Wait for it to cool a little (but not enough to solidify) then dump it in the trash.
- 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.