deep frying potatoes

What to do with cooking oil and fat?

09 Apr 21

Cooking oil and fat shouldn’t be poured down sinks as it can cause blockages.

What to do with cooking oil and fat?

Small amounts of cooking oil, fats, plate scrapings of fatty food and surplus oil from pans and trays can be disposed of in your food waste recycling service. If you don’t have access to this, pour cooled oil into a sealed plastic container and pop it in the general waste bin.

Recycling facilities exist

Household waste recycling centre (HWRC)

Used cooking oil can be put into a sealed container and taken to your local recycling centre.

Recycling facilities exist

Other recycling collections

You can currently recycle cooking oil at seven Sainsbury's stores in Scotland. This includes vegetable oil, animal fat and lard which should be transported in a sealed plastic bottle.

The oil collection banks are located in the supermarket car park. From there the oil is collected by Olleco and taken to their recycling plant to be made into biodiesel. The Sainsbury’s stores include Kirkcaldy, Leven, Linlithgow, Blackhall, Straiton, Murrayfield and Edinburgh Longstone.

Recycling facilities exist

How is cooking oil recycled?

Used oil is heated, cleaned and filtered and recycled into renewable energy.

What can you do?

  1. Brush it onto your garden shed or fence as a creosote alternative. It’s a good preservative that won’t discolour the wood and is safe to use near plants and animals.

  2. Used cooking fat from chicken or bacon makes a great treat for garden birds. Pour into a pot, add bird seeds and nuts, leave to set, then hang up outside.

  3. Into your food caddy: the content of the frying pan when it's cooled, but not the contents of a deep fat fryer!

  4. Don’t pour used oil down the drain as it can cause blockages.