Introduction
Have you ever had to throw away a bottle of cooking oil? If so, you know that it’s a messy process. You have to transfer the oil into another container and then carefully dispose of it in your trash can. This is not only time-consuming but also bad for the environment.
People throw away about one billion pounds of used cooking oil every year. That’s enough to fill up more than 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools! Instead of throwing your used cooking oil away or pouring it down your sink drain, you should recycle it as Oz Oils do. Here are just some reasons why:
It pollutes waterways.
Cooking oil is a pollutant. When you throw away your cooking oil, it can leach into the soil and water. This can be toxic to animals and humans because it contains harmful chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, and other contaminants used on the plants that produced the oil in the first place. If you’re looking for ways to reduce this pollution, consider recycling your cooking oil instead of throwing it away.
Recycling helps get it out of the environment.
Recycling your cooking oil can help get it out of the environment. Recycling is the only way to keep cooking oil out of landfills and waterways, where it will be broken down by bacteria, producing greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide.
If you recycle your used cooking oil, you’ll quickly find someone to take it from, like a restaurant or food service facility. If not, there are other options for disposing of it responsibly:
Recycling creates biodiesel fuel.
Using cooking oil for biodiesel is better than throwing it away. Biodiesel is made from organic materials like vegetable oils, animal fats or cooking oil. It’s a renewable energy source that burns cleaner than fossil fuels and has fewer greenhouse gas emissions than regular diesel fuel. So, by using biodiesel instead of fossil fuels like gasoline or natural gas for transportation needs, you’re helping make our planet healthier.
- It is 100% biodegradable.
- It reduces air pollution.
- It reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30%.
Biodiesel has been proven to be a viable alternative to fossil-based diesel fuels, but only when made from renewable sources such as vegetable oils or animal fats and not food crops like corn designed to feed humans, livestock animals and fish.
Recycling cooking oil is relatively easy.
Recycling cooking oil is better for the environment than throwing it away. To recycle your cooking oil:
- Collect all of your used cooking oil in a jar or container that can be sealed tightly. If possible, try using containers with lids (like a Ziploc bag). This will prevent smells from escaping and keep critters out while allowing oxygen flow so that rancid odours don’t build up too quickly inside your container.
- Once you’ve collected enough cooking oil, about 4 cups worth, bring it to one of the recycling centres like Oz Oils locations, where they’ll accept it for recycling.
- The recycling centre should pay for containers that aren’t made of glass or metal but ensure that you get proof from them before leaving.
Conclusion
When you think about it, recycling cooking oil is a great idea. It saves money and energy and can even help the environment! So next time your recipe calls for too much oil or you are worried about how much waste will be produced by frying a large quantity of food, consider using recycled oil instead.