Recycling typically means boxes, paper, cans, plastic and even mulching your Christmas trees – but you can also add cooking oil to the list. Residents and businesses can simply store cooled vegetable oil in a container with a lid and bring to the Household Hazardous Waste Center. The center is located at the entrance of the Central Landfill at 6337 Da Lisa Rd. in Milton or the Jay Residential Drop off station located at 3785 Transfer Station Rd. in Jay for disposal. There is no cost for the collection service and the oil will be recycled for use in the production of soaps, cosmetics, plastics and biodiesel.
The Household Hazardous Waste Center accepts oil year round, but there may be a greater disposal need after the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Hazardous Waste Supervisor Ginny Cannon said, “During the holidays, many residents are frying turkeys and just generally cooking more and have lots of oil left over. Bringing your cooking oil to our household hazardous waste center not only offers an environmentally friendly disposal option, but also gives an alternative to pouring oil down your sink which can cause thousands of dollars of damage to your pipes, sewer and septic systems.”
Recyclable cooking oil includes corn, peanut, olive, safflower and canola. Cooking oil tips from the Household Hazardous Waste Center include reusing your vegetable oil for up to six hours of cooking time and to never pour oil down the drain, even with soap and hot water. It will build up and clog pipes resulting in sewer or septic tank backups. Pouring the oil in storm drains can also adversely impact our wildlife and waterways as the oil makes its ways into streams, rivers and the Gulf of Mexico.
The Household Hazardous Waste Center is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Jay Residential Drop Off Station is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The following items should never be thrown out with your household garbage but can be taken to the two Household Hazardous Waste drop off sites at no cost year round:
• Engine & cooking oil
• Aerosols
• Gasoline
• Paint
• Antifreeze, oil filters
• Lubricants, hydraulic oils, transmission fluid, & brake fluid
• Diesel fuel
• Grease & solvents
• Pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers
• Polyurethanes
• All batteries EXCEPT alkaline
• Pressurized tanks including helium tanks & propane bottles
• Pool cleaners
• Household cleaners
• Cathode Ray TV’s
• Fax Machines
• DVD/DVR players
• Typewriters
• Copy machines
• Ink cartridges & toner
• Cell phones
• Printers, monitors, modems, computers, laptop computers, battery backups
• Wires
• Christmas lights
• Fluorescent lights
• Fire extinguishers
• Small appliances
• Thermometers and thermostats
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Recycle oil at Central Landfill locations after holidays