Release Date: Nov 19, 2008
File:

Summary:
Montgomery County Water Services offers timely advice for those deep-frying a holiday turkey and wondering what to do with the oil after cooking. 

It may seem like an easy solution to a messy problem, but pouring fryer oil down the drain will lead to a nastier and expensive problem.  Oil and grease rinsed down the plumbing system can congeal and block pipes, causing sewer back-ups.  Proper disposal of your cooking oil and grease may save your home from a clogged drain – and a holiday visit from the plumber.

Clogs can also occur outside your home in the public sewage system resulting in raw sewage overflowing a manhole in the street or a cleanout on your property.  As sewage flows down the street, it enters the storm drain system, where it is then carried straight into our local waterways without any treatment.  Pouring oil down a storm drain is the same as pouring it directly into a lake.

So how do you properly dispose of the oil?  Choose from one of the following options:

- Store the oil in the original container for reuse.  Strain out any particles and freeze.  Oil can be kept for up to six months and reused for up to six hours of fry time.

- Recycle the oil at either one of Montgomery County's Solid Waste facilities located south at 2550 Sandridge Dr. or north at 6589 Webster St.  Call the Recycling Resource Center at 225-4860 for more information.

- For best results, choose a container with a tight fitting lid.

"Pouring used oil down the drain could result in an unpleasant call to the plumber," reminds Greg Merrill, Montgomery County Water Services Director. "Keep your holidays merry by storing grease for another use, recycling it, or putting it in the trash."