Properly disposing of cooking oil is crucial for restaurants if they want to avoid clogged drains, plumbing issues, and environmental contamination. According to Recycle Reminders, it's estimated that around 2.5 billion gallons of used cooking oil is accumulated annually in the United States. Here are some tips that can help you ensure safe, eco-friendly cooking oil disposal.

Maximize Use Before Disposal

One of the best ways to reduce how frequently you need cooking oil disposal is first to maximize your usage. Train kitchen staff to carefully filter and fully use cooking oils before replacing batches. Proper filtering between uses can significantly extend the oil's life span. Fry more food per batch to get the longest possible use of oils before disposal, and avoid tossing it after one use.

Keep Oils Out of Drains

Never pour used grease or cooking byproducts down sinks or drains. Hot oils and fats liquefy during cooking but solidify when cooled, which coats pipes and clogs plumbing systems once washed down drains. You should thoroughly scrape and collect cooking grease into designated storage containers instead.

Install Grease Traps

Have an approved grease trap unit professionally installed and connected to your kitchen's wastewater drainage pipes. Grease traps catch and filter cooking oils and other food waste from dishwater before reaching the main sewer lines. Maintain traps regularly via pumping to keep them working properly.

Safely Store Until Pickup

Designate sealable containers in the kitchen to collect all used fryer oil, meat drippings, and greasy pans for proper disposal after cooking. Secure lids prevent leaks and control odors. Until the waste oil pickup, store containers safely away from storm drains to avoid environmental contamination from spills.

Schedule Consistent Removal

Arrange for an approved waste cooking oil recycling company to visit your restaurant on a consistent, scheduled basis to pick up and replace filled grease drums. This ensures regular removal before drums overfill. Sticking to a routine pickup schedule reduces fire and health hazards.

Adhering to straightforward best practices for cooking oil containment, storage, and consistent cooking oil disposal keeps restaurant kitchens fully compliant in sustainably handling grease disposal. It also benefits the local community and environment. If you need disposal for your cooking oils and grease, we can help. Call 1st Choice Grease Service LLC today to learn more.