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Original poster

To wonder how to get rid of liquid fat?

165 replies

CarlaH · 11/07/2026 11:29

We keep being told not to pour oil or liquid fat down the sink because it causes problems for the water companies.

How are we meant to dispose of it? Googling says we should put it into a glass or plastic container and throw it into the main waste but we are supposed to recycle those things aren't we?

I don't have suitable empty glass or plastic containers just lying around and I certainly don't have plastic containers with lids apart from the ones I want to keep like Tupperware.

What do most people do with it?

OP posts:
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ByQuaintAzureWasp · 09/08/2026 21:19

Any old tin, jar, yoghurt pot, bottle, empty milk container ... endless list

Tryanalogue · 09/08/2026 13:48

I’ve been dieting for similar reasons.

TroysMammy · 09/08/2026 06:50

Does your local recycling centre have an oil section?

Sillyoldgit62 · 09/08/2026 06:42

We pour it in a old plant pot and freeze it,when frozen put it in the normal waste bin wrapped in tin foil or newspaper

GreenChameleon · 09/08/2026 06:23

Interesting to read that no one seems to have access to a recycling scheme for fats! Where I live we get buckets with a lid from the council, you fill them up and take them to the tip where the fats are turned into fuel.

mathanxiety · 09/08/2026 06:19

I buy the odd jam or peanut butter in a jar, save the jar, and use it for cooking fats when they're cool.

It doesn't bother me that most plastic and glass containers are supposed to be recycled.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 09/08/2026 01:32

I spilled some sunflower oil in my sink , one of those "Oh Damn" moments where a Pyrex jug of oil thar was cooling and waiting to filter back in the bottle , fell in the sink . As I grabbed it to stop it smashing , it went down the plughole .
I did the best I could with hot water and washing up liquid to flush it down and emulsify it .

Usually I pour into an empty carton to go in the bin.
We don;t have solid fat .

I am hoping my sewage won;t come back up now and flood my house !

OpheliaNightingale · 09/08/2026 01:22

Maybe use a non-recyclable container to throw it away in? Depending on the area you live in, this could be a pet food pouch, a crisp packet, or a polystyrene curry sauce container from a takeaway.

Rainallnight · 08/08/2026 22:50

TonTonMacoute · 11/07/2026 11:49

I put mine in a jar and chuck it. I don't use that much so I only end up throwing away one glass jar every few months, the current one has been going for ages. The world isn't going to end any sooner because of that. It's far better than putting the fat into the drains

This is what I do. I call it The Fat Jar (though I suppose it’s more properly The Oil Jar)

janj52301 · 08/08/2026 22:35

there will always be some, even what you eat goes through you when you use the toilet. I try and catch all the oil I cook with, it cools and then I tip it in my bin but there will be some residue in the dishwasher. I have an old house with an outside drain, I regularly clear a mini fat berg from there

Tryanalogue · 19/07/2026 23:13

UsedToBeAtAmber · 11/07/2026 11:37

I mix it with flour until it's a paste then put it in the bin.

You should fry that for breakfast.

Incandescentangel · 19/07/2026 23:08

I always use the heavy duty kitchen roll to wipe out pans before washing them. I line a bit of foil with the paper and pour oil into it in the bin.

Shatenoeuf · 19/07/2026 21:47

I try reuse whatever i can. If theres meat fat i roast spuds in it next day. My mum would have done fried bread, my grandad bread& dripping. Or you can mix with oats & seeds for birds.

wheresthesnowgone · 19/07/2026 21:42

Rescuedog12 · 19/07/2026 21:01

How can you put newspaper in with food?

Show quote history

I think it's ok. I use recyclable paper bags inside the food caddy and just presumed all paper breaks down. It always gets taken away.

MandemChickenShop · 19/07/2026 21:06

I collect it and pour it into my Volvo or my lawnmower. sometimes they run a bit funky, in which case I top them up with petrol/diesel etc to dilute the mix.

Rescuedog12 · 19/07/2026 21:01

wheresthesnowgone · 11/07/2026 11:36

Freeze it until recycling day, pop the frozen fat out of the plastic container into newspaper, wrap and put in food recycling or general rubbish if you don't have separate food bins.

How can you put newspaper in with food?

RoseOliviaAu · 15/07/2026 11:10

Let it cool in a bowl made of foil then chuck it

lilkitten · 15/07/2026 10:16

I don't use a lot of oil, but my mum used to put used oil into a bottle and bin it. I tend to only get fat from pork etc, let it go cold and scrape it out, but if I were disposing of vegetable oil etc then I guess what my mum used to do is probably right. I've heard that oil bottles can't be recycled anyway, so may as well use an old oil bottle.

MoonlightMemories · 14/07/2026 20:13

I make a sort of "nest" out of kitchen roll, put it in the sink away from the plug hole, pour the fat into the nest and then throws it into the general waste bin when it's cooled down.

HolyHannah · 14/07/2026 20:06

AfogatoFirenze · 14/07/2026 08:30

Don't you all just leave it on the side with bits of chip in it till next time

and next time

and next time

and next time

ad infintium

or was that just my mum 😂

Edited

I do reuse my deep fat frying oil. But I strain it through a muslin first, so no chip bits!

I deep fry about twice a year so seems a waste to bin it each time...

AfogatoFirenze · 14/07/2026 08:30

Don't you all just leave it on the side with bits of chip in it till next time

and next time

and next time

and next time

ad infintium

or was that just my mum 😂

Jayne35 · 14/07/2026 08:25

I mix mine with some flour then put in food recycling bin. Those bins are a bit rank in this heat but my neighbour freezes her full food bags before putting them out to delay maggots.

caringcarer · 14/07/2026 00:09

I rarely get any liquid oil to dispose of but if put it into an empty takeaway carton and put in the bin.

ThanksForAllTheFish · 13/07/2026 23:48

If it’s liquid that will turn sold (eg cooking sausages under the grill/ draining fat off minced beef) I use a spoon and put it into an old tin to cool down and then once cool scoop it into the bin and wash the tin to recycle . If it’s vegetable oil I have used in the frying pan I tend to soak it up with kitchen paper when cooled down or if my bin is already about 3/4 full and looks like it has enough stuff in there to absorb it I will just pour it into the bin (cold oil obviously not hot).

YourWinter · 13/07/2026 19:37

Line a cereal bowl or mug with a square of foil, if there’s a lot of oil add a sheet of kitchen towel, pour oil / liquid fat in, when cooled scrunch into a secure parcel and freeze until black bin day, when it’s the last thing added to the kitchen bin before I tie up the bin bag to put out in the black bin.

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