What to Do with Used Cooking Oil

November 2024. Do you love to cook or perhaps deep fry a turkey for the holidays and wonder what to do with all that leftover fat, oil, and grease (FOG)? Did you know that instead of throwing it away, used cooking oil can be converted into biofuel or used to generate electricity? Here’s how.

Used cooking oil can be reused for up to one month after first use. When it is time to discard the oil, capture it in a heat-resistant container (if it is still warm) with a sealed lid that can be transported to the City’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility (HHW), from where it will be shipped off and converted into biofuel or used to produce electricity. The HHW Facility provides residents with a FREE, safe, and sustainable place to dispose of FOG.

How is cooking oil recycled, you may wonder? Used cooking oil is processed and sold to biodiesel manufacturers. Solids and water separated during processing are hauled to the City of Thousand Oaks’ Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant. The treatment plant places these materials into anaerobic digesters; large, enclosed containers where microorganisms convert biosolids into the first stage of a compost-related product. As the microorganisms digest the waste, they release biogas, which is used to generate electricity and heat for the facility.

Deep frying a turkey can use as much as 3-4 gallons of cooking oil, but even if you are cooking with minimal oil, it is important not to pour the used oil down the drain or throw it in the trash. When oil is thrown in the trash, it is collected by trash trucks, which compact the material, potentially causing grease and oil to leak out of the truck and onto the street, which can cause staining or end up in the storm drain system. Once in the landfill, cooking oil and grease will break down and release methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Dumping used cooking oil in the drain can clog pipes in your home and the City’s sewer system, resulting in costly plumbing repairs. You may have used hot water to flush fats, oils, and grease (FOG) down your drain – but the water cools, and the oil solidifies against the pipe walls. Like a clogged artery, the consistency and pressure of the flow are reduced until you have a backup and must call a plumber.

For beneficial reuse of your used oil during the holidays or any time of the year, visit the City’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 2010 Conejo Center Drive, Newbury Park, CA 91320.

Hours of operation:  Friday & Saturday 9:00-1:00; by appointment.