Recycling/Disposing of Cooking Oil
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Nov 2007
I'm going to deep fry a turkey on Thanksgiving. Does anybody know where I can recycle the used peanut oil? Is there a place that recycles for biodiesel cars?? What's the best way to store this? Do gallon milk jugs have enough threads to safely transport oil? will have lots of oil
Depending on where you live there usually is a place to recycle toxic items such as oil and paint, we have such a place in Martinez for Contra Costa residents. Check in your phone book or through the garbage company. We also fry our turkey every year and then I funnel the oil back into the containers they came in and transport them there. It's free. Best of Luck.
EBMUD will accept used cooking oil/grease for recycling (to keep it from clogging the pipes), as well as the Alameda County Hazardous Waste facility in West Oakland and a couple other places. Go to www.stopwaste.org and look under Organic Materials Grease/Cooking Oils for complete details on these and more. Materials Reuse (510-435-8988 / matreuse [at] earthlink.net) says they'll turn it into biodiesel, but doesn't list a dropoff location. The hazmat people say ''the oil must be strained to remove large food particles, should be placed in its original container and secured with an appropriate lid for transporting.'' Btw, BioFuel Oasis in Berkeley does NOT accept oil donations. Avid Recycler
If you live in Oakland, you can drop off motor oil and other household hazardous waste at the HHW facility on E. 7th St. - you just drive up, pop your trunk, and they take your waste. Super easy. https://www.stopwaste.org/at-home/household-hazardous-waste/residential-hhw-drop-off-service/oakland-hhw-facility I assume Berkeley and other municipalities have something similar.
most counties have a location for hazardous waste drop off. typically you make an appointment in advance for drive up, touchless (eg driver rolls down window and opens trunk but does not do any unloading). items are unloaded, by hazardous waste employees, in a few minutes and vehicle drives off. try web search for your county and hazardous waste disposal…
Check out the hazardous waste guide here to find places to drop it off: https://www.stopwaste.org/at-home/household-hazardous-waste/recycling-used-oil
If you happen to live in El Cerrito, the recycling center accepts household hazardous waste from El Cerrito residents one day a week (it's on their website). Maybe other cities have a similar program?
El Cerrito Recycling Center used to take oil and you do not need to be a resident.