Cooking oil recycling around the Metroplex
Cooking oil - including fats, grease, lard, etc. - are not good for the pipes in your house or for the environment. Even attempts to dilute the oil with hot water can still result in blocked pipes.
When cooking oil actually makes its way out of the pipes, there is the added risk of it getting into the ground and returning to our water system. Oil accumulation in streams can result in a light film on the water that interferes with the oxygenations necessary for fish and other life living there.
A recent report at CBS KTVT-TV offers these suggestions:
- After it has cooled, filter and freeze used cooking oil and reuse it for another meal.
- Small amounts of cooking oil, such as meat drippings, can be soaked up with a paper towel and thrown into the trash.
- After it has cooled, pour the used cooking oil into a sturdy closed-lid container, like a coffee can, and dispose of it in the trash. Another option is to slowly mix in kitty litter until all the oil is absorbed and can be placed in a garbage bag.
If you live in one of these cities, you can contact them about cooking oil recycling at the numbers below:
- Dallas Water Utilities at (214) 670-6749.
- Denton’s Home Chemical Collection program at (940) 349-8787.
- Fort Worth Environmental Collection Center at 817-871-5257
- Irving program for curbside pickup at 972-721-2232 or 972-721-2772.
- Mansfield Stormwater Mgmt cooking oil dropoff at 817-276-4240.
- Plano Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program at 972-769-4150.
If you live in another city, you can drop off used cooking oil at Biodiesel Industries, Inc. located at the City of Denton Landfill, Spencer at Mayhill Rd, between 7am - 5pm, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
For more information, refer to the KTVT article, This Thanksgiving, Please Don’t Feed the Storm Drain.