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Avoid Damage To Your Home And The Environment With Cooking Oil Recycling

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You just got finished frying a batch of bacon. You want to clean the pan, but you don't have time to wait for the grease to cool so that you can properly dispose of it, so what do you do? You make the mistake that many people are guilty of – you toss the grease down the drain. Everyone knows it's bad, but few people know just how bad this practice is. When you realize the real consequences of this practice, you will be more than willing to avoid it.

Plumbing Damage

Cooking oil is a substance that can quickly change its from liquid to solid. When you pour the oil down the drain it is in liquid form, but it quickly transforms back into a solid and adheres to the pipe. No amount of hot water is able to return the grease to its liquid form and allow it to flush through.

What you're left with is an obstruction in your pipes that prevents the water from draining out of your sink correctly. However, if the grease travels deeper within your pipes, it could cause a much larger blockage affecting multiple drains.

Environmental Damage

Disposing of cooking oil incorrectly can also have a negative effect on the environment. For example, say you have a sewage line that services 25 homes within a community. If the majority of the homeowners are disposing of grease in the sink, it's safe to say that there would be a fair amount of buildup in the pipes.

Given the scale, this large buildup wouldn't just cause a blockage, but it could also cause a backup. A pipe backup could send a countless number of gallons of toxic wastewater flooding through the local community. This wastewater doesn't just jeopardize your health, but also the safety of any nearby wildlife and plant life.

A Safer Alternative

You can avoid causing undue damage to your home and the environment by using a safer alternative, cooking oil recycling. Find a secure container to collect your used cooking oil in, such as a large metal, coffee can.

Most people would be surprised to discover that they can easily fill up one or more of these containers very quickly. Once you've done so, you can take them to a local recycling facility. These centers will then properly dispose of the oil or convert it into a usable resource, such as biodiesel fuel.

Avoid damage to your home as well as the environment by practicing safe cooking grease disposal methods.


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