Restaurants use cooking grease daily to make the fast foods many people enjoy. Even in homes, families use grease in fryers and for cooking purposes.

What happens to all this used grease is important because improper disposal is not good for the environment. And pouring used grease down a drain is harmful to plumbing and pollutes waterways and ecosystems.

So, how do you recycle grease? And how is recycled cooking grease used?

How to Properly Dispose of Grease

Recycling is important, but you can easily dispose of small amounts of grease at home if needed. If you have used grease, allow it to cool and then pour it into a metal can and place it in your trash.

For larger amounts of grease, it's best to recycle. Most restaurants have specific collection bins for used grease from fryers. Stores also have grease collection bins as well.

A recycling company collects the grease on a regular schedule, and a lot of stores and restaurants get rebates for doing their part in recycling.

Uses for Recycled Grease

Recycled cooking grease has many uses. This grease is used for things like food for animals or turned into fuel to run diesel engines.

Yellow grease is often used in the place of corn as a nutritional additive in animal feed. Recycled grease and fat also go into making other products, like soaps, cosmetics, plastics, and other items.

Recycled greases turned into biodiesel go through a chemical process and sometimes a filtering process to turn grease into fuel.

Grease That Can't Be Recycled

Some types of grease aren't recycled. One example is brown grease. The brown grease found in waste traps is contaminated with dirty water and rotting food. This type of grease is unsanitary and is not safe to use for recycling purposes.

Because brown grease is unsanitary, grease collection companies pump brown grease from waste traps. They take it to the landfill and incinerate it. 

Other Ways to Reuse Grease

The grease used to cook plant-based foods is ideal for use as compost. It's safe to pour this grease into your garden. This grease may help keep soil moisture for plants and act as a bug deterrent for pests like mites and aphids.

However, grease used to fry meat products is not ideal for pouring into the garden. The meat smell attracts unwanted pests, like raccoons and mice.

Whether it's leftover grease from home or a business, the best practice is to recycle or reuse grease to keep it out of landfills and drains.

Contact a grease recycling service for more information.