It might be difficult to know what to do with excess oil after a large messy lunch. You don’t want it to spill all over the trash, and you certainly don’t want to use unclean oil again. So, what are you going to do? Can olive oil and other oils be poured down the drain? Continue reading to learn about the unique methods you might create money!
Contents
- Can You Pour Olive Oil Down the Drain?
- How to Responsibly Get Rid of Old Olive Oil
- FAQs
- So, Can You Pour Olive Oil Down The Drain?
- FAQs
- Is olive oil bad for drains?
- Can you pour extra virgin olive oil down the drain?
- Can you flush olive oil down the toilet?
- How do you dispose of olive oil in your home?
- What can I do with expired olive oil?
- What oil can you not put down the drain?
- Will olive oil clog shower drain?
- What happens if you pour oil down the drain once?
- What happens when you pour olive oil in water?
- Can you pour olive oil in the garden?
Can You Pour Olive Oil Down the Drain?
The short answer is no, you shouldn’t.
Can You Pour Unused Olive Oil Down the Drain?
It is never a good idea to dump olive oil down the toilet. This causes a buildup of grease on the inside of your drain pipes, which has a negative impact on drainage and may even result in a blocked drain!
Whether the olive oil is raw or cooked, or any other form of oil, it will not only coat the surface of the drains, but it may also cause objects to adhere to the interior of the drain as they flow through your pipes.
Although though olive oil seems to be totally liquid, it may start to harden at temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius). This is especially crucial to understand if you reside in a cold-weather state like Michigan. Pouring olive oil down your drains will almost certainly result in a clog.
While the expense of costly plumbing is clearly not worth it, I strongly advise against pouring any olive oil down the drain.
Look out this simple video that explains why you should never dump olive oil down the drain:
Can You Pour Olive Oil Down the Toilet?
The olive oil, like your sink drains, will attach to the inside of the toilet pipe walls and cause them to clog. Even if the toilet pipes are somewhat larger, olive oil will have the same effect.
It may take a little longer for the toilet drain to entirely clog. Yet, some items will normally flow through your toilet. The olive oil may cause this to adhere to the drain’s walls. This will produce a foul odor.
How to Responsibly Get Rid of Old Olive Oil
Let the Olive Oil Solidify or Freeze It
If you cooked with this oil recently, it’s likely that the oil is still a bit hot. If this is the case, just pour it into a container (one that will not melt if its super hot). Let the cooking oil to settle and cool in the container, and it will most likely solidify. This is normal, and the only oil that does not harden after cooling is canola oil.
If you’re comfortable with it this way, you may leave it in this semi-solid form. Many individuals will just ignore it. Alternatively, after the oil has solidified, it may be frozen.
If you want to reuse the olive oil for other culinary purposes, it may be a good idea to freeze the oil to extend its shelf life. It’s also a good idea to scribble the date you froze the oil someplace on the container. Afterwards, give or take 6 months, attempt to utilize the oil.
Move the Olive Oil to Another Container
If you’re freezing olive oil, make sure it’s in the container you intend to freeze it in. If it is in a glass jar or bottle, it cannot be frozen unless the jug has been labeled as such or you are certain that it is tempered.
If you are unsure if the glass is tempered, do not freeze it. Glass expands and contracts in response to temperature changes, which may cause glass to break. You don’t want glass fragments all over your freezer, even if the frozen olive oil won’t create much of a mess.
Disposing of the Oil Properly
There are two options for properly disposing of spent oil: compost it or recycle it.
I’ll go through them in more detail below:
Composting the Oil
The oil may be combined with other leftovers. Compostable materials include vegetable scrapings, leaves, fruit leftovers, and any other organic material. Even used olive oil is considered organic and may be composted.
This can be done both indoors and outside, making it a very useful resource for feeding your houseplants!
Recycle the Olive Oil
If gardening isn’t your thing, don’t worry; you can always take the oil to a recycling facility. You may always contact local eateries to see if they have a purpose for the excess oil.
If this hasn’t piqued anyone’s curiosity, you may want to hedge your bets. Contact your local fire department or garbage collection service. If none of these works, just take your oil to a nearby recycling facility. Before making the trip down, check with your local recycling center to see whether they recycle olive oil. Just contact or email them for more information.
Several areas of the nation even provide tax breaks for recycling or donating leftover olive oil. Keep this in mind, especially when it comes to taxes!
FAQs
Should I Pour Olive Oil Down the Drain?
No. The oil may harden, causing a big, costly obstruction.
What Can Recycled Olive Oil Be Used for?
The recycling facility does not really clean the oil and reuse it in cooking; instead, it is repurposed as a biodiesel fuel source! Biodiesel may be made by combining methanol or other alcohols with animal fats from vegetable oils such as olive oil. This is a far more environmentally friendly fuel source that emits much less greenhouse emissions than regular oil. Moreover, since it is renewable, it burns cleanly and may be generated in the United States. This makes it an ideal fuel source for vehicles like motorcycles and tractors.
So, Can You Pour Olive Oil Down The Drain?
It is not a good idea to dump any kind of vegetable oil down the drain. This may be quite damaging to your pipes. That might result in a clog or, worse, a burst pipe, so stick to recycling or composting. Your wallet will be grateful!
If you liked this article, you may be interested in some of my other blog posts:
- Filtered Olive Oil vs. Unfiltered Olive Oil
- Olive Oil Varieties
- Butter vs. Olive Oil
FAQs
Is olive oil bad for drains?
To become solid, olive oil must reach a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and when it solidifies in the sink, it may block pipes. Olive oil covers the pipes even as a liquid, making them slippery and sticky. It may cause the pipes to collect additional debris as it builds, perhaps causing a blockage.
Can you pour extra virgin olive oil down the drain?
In the first case, pouring oils like olive oil down the drain covers the surface of the pipes, causing sluggish drains and ultimately clogging them. Any food or other substances that enter the drains have the ability to adhere to the oily surface of your pipes and clog them.
Can you flush olive oil down the toilet?
Pouring fats, oils, or grease down the drain or toilet is not a good idea. It clogs your pipes as well as our sewage system.
How do you dispose of olive oil in your home?
Cooking oil and fat should not be dumped down drains since they might clog them. If you don’t have access to a food waste recycling service, drop it in a sealed container in the regular garbage bin.
What can I do with expired olive oil?
RUST PROOF SURVIVAL GEAR. REMOVE RUST.
LUBRICATE A CHAINSAW. LUBRICATE SQUEAKY JOINTS. PROTECT GARDENING TOOLS.
GENERATE LIGHT… KEEP PESTS AT ARMS.
More to come…
•Feb 11, 2022
What oil can you not put down the drain?
Cooking oil, pan drippings, grease, salad dressings, and sauces should not be poured down the drain. To scrape plates or wipe greasy or oily dishware, do not use cotton towels or rags. The grease will wind up in the sewage if you wash them. Do not rinse oily dishes or pans with water.
Will olive oil clog shower drain?
Any vegetable oils or animal fats in your personal-care products, much as fatty meals may block your kitchen sink drain, can clog your shower drain. If you consistently treat your hair with coconut oil or moisturize with a natural oil-based product, such as olive or jojoba oil, you may experience a sluggish drain.
What happens if you pour oil down the drain once?
Pouring grease or oil down the kitchen sink may clog and harm the drainage system. Cooking oil’s viscosity will cover the insides of your pipes. The oil will then begin to accumulate food crumbs, coffee grounds (if you accidentally spilled any), and other residues, causing jams.
What happens when you pour olive oil in water?
As a consequence, when you add oil to a cup of water, the two do not mix. Since oil is less thick than water, it will constantly float on top of it, forming an oily surface layer. You may have seen this on the streets after a hard rain—some water puddles may have an oil coating floating on them.
Can you pour olive oil in the garden?
Gardening using Olive Oil
Olive oil may be beneficial to your plants since it protects them from pests and offers critical vitamins such as Vitamin E, which enhances plant survivability in cold conditions.