Today’s post comes from your clean water ambassador, Captain Wetiquette.
Deep frying your turkey this Thankgiving? While it might lead to a delicious meal, what are you going to do with all that used cooking oil? Luckily, WasteFreeSD.org has the 411 on what those of us in the trash industry refer to as F.O.G. (that’s fats, oils, and grease for all you non-trash talking folks).
With the holiday season drawing near, let this serve as a reminder that fats, oils, and grease from cooking should not be poured down kitchen sinks or drains! Instead, residents should accumulate their used cooking oil for proper disposal at a local collection facility. To find the closest drop off location, residents are encouraged to visit WasteFreeSD.org
When cooking oil is discarded into your kitchen sink, it accumulates inside the sewer pipes making it difficult for wastewater to flow freely to the wastewater treatment plant. This includes wastewater draining from toilets and showers. When wastewater cannot make its way through the sewer pipes, it overflows into our homes, streets, lawns, and storm drains, eventually making its way to the ocean. These results are the equivalent of a sewage spill, and can cause substantial damage to the local environment. Eww!!
Thankfully, there are a number of collection sites that accept cooking oil from the public in San Diego County. For unincorporated County residents, there are collection sites at Ramona Disposal, as well as EDCO facilities in San Marcos and Lemon Grove. City of San Diego residents may take their used cooking oil to Miramar Recycling Center, provided that it is less than 30 quarts. There is no fee associated with recycling used cooking oil and some facilities are even able to turn this used cooking oil into fuel for cars and other machines. For more information on these centers, visit WasteFreeSD.org.