5 Easy Tips on How to Dispose of Grill Grease Safely & Eco-Friendly
Properly dispose of grill grease by letting it solidify before throwing it in the trash, consider recycling options, and prevent grease fires by keeping your grill clean.
Your grill can give you so many amazing meals, but you might wonder how to dispose of grease from your grill sessions. Do you just dump it down the drain? Can you throw it in the yard? Is it going to become toxic in a landfill if you toss it in the trash? Can you just ignore it?
Read on to discover the answers to all of these questions and what to do with the grease from your grill.
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1. Let the Grease Solidify and Toss in the Trash
Gooey, sloppy grease is very difficult to clean, and if you take a paper towel to the grease that sits somewhere on or in your grill (or your indoor hot plate), you’ll probably accomplish nothing more than moving the grease around with a napkin (similar to dealing with plastic).
You may find it easiest to dispose of the grease from your grill by letting it cool and solidify.
Once the grease is solid, you can throw it away. If you live in an area where it gets hot and there’s a danger the grease might liquefy, make sure to place it in a plastic container or bag.
You might find it helpful to keep empty plastic containers around that once held food, which can hold your old grease until it’s ready for the trash.
You may even want to double-bag the grease: once in a small plastic bag and again in the trash bag.
2. Donate the Oil from Your Grill
Placing the grease from your grill in the trash is usually the easiest and safest way to get rid of oil, but there are some places where you can actually recycle oil. In fact, some companies will take old oil and use it for various industrial purposes.
According to an article from The Daily Mirror, fast-food giant McDonald’s actually takes its old grease and turns it into biodiesel to run its fleet vehicles. Cool!
If McDonald’s is introducing sustainable cooking techniques into their restaurants, there’s a good chance you can, too, at your home grill.
Usually, a simple Google search is all it takes to see if there is a company near you that will take your old grease. In rare cases, you might actually find a company that will pay you a modest amount to take your grease, but not all companies pay.
Tip: Don’t confuse biodiesel with the diesel you put in your truck. They are not the same, and you can’t run your diesel fuel vehicle simply by pouring old grill grease into the fuel tank. The process is a little more involved than that.
3. Recycle Your Used Grill Grease
Some recycling centers will take your old oil and grease and recycle them. Not only can you bring your old motor oil and anything other hazardous oil to these recycling locations, but you can often also take old grease for recycling, too.
If you check the website for your county’s hazardous waste collection sites, they’ll usually list the types of waste they’ll take.
You may find it ecologically responsible to take your grease to a recycling center. One of the unfortunate results of throwing your grease away into the trash is that it can eventually end up in a landfill and negatively impact the environment.
As the plastic bag in which you placed the grease degrades, the grease will start to coat everything around it and will eventually make its way to the waterways.
Old grease in a landfill may harm the environment, so you may find it worthwhile to recycle it, even if it takes an extra trip to your town’s hazardous waste drop-off site.
Preventing Grill Fires by Disposing of Grease
If you’re cooking on a grill, there’s a good chance you have to deal with grease. Unfortunately, grease fires are all too common when you don’t clean your grill regularly and thoroughly.
Grease can build up on the burners and eventually ignite if it gets hot enough. It doesn’t take a lot of grease either to create a dangerous grease fire.
If you cook foods where you routinely have a lot of grease left over after you’re done grilling, it’s essential that you keep your grill clean between uses.
Grease may build up on surfaces, or you may find solidified chunks in your drip pan. Try to keep your grill as clean as possible to avoid grease fires. Look into buying a grill mat.
Yes, it may take some extra time to clean your grill completely, but it’s safe and worth the time.
FAQs about How To Dispose of Grease from Your Grill
Want to know more about getting rid of your grill grease? Check out the common questions and answers on how to dispose of grease from grill.
Can I dump grease down the drain?
One of the worst things you can do with grease is to pour it down a drain. Putting it down the kitchen sink will eventually clog your sink and your disposal if you have one. Don’t assume that tossing the grease down the toilet is any better.Â
You’ll also clog the pipes in the toilet if you throw the grease away using your family’s porcelain throne. It doesn’t take very long to completely clog your pipes, and getting rid of the clogs is time-consuming.
How do I dispose of dripping BBQ trays?Â
If your barbecue tray is filled with liquid grease, the easiest way to get rid of it is to pour the grease into a jar or other receptacle. If you’re interested in recycling your grease, place a paper towel on top of the opening to the jar so it catches the food particles and allows the grease to enter the jar in its cleanest state possible.Â
You can toss the food particles in the trash or compost them (you can also compost the paper towel that you use to catch the particles).
How do you dispose of hamburger grease?
You can get rid of hamburger grease the same way you dispose of any other grease. You can allow it to harden and then throw it away in the trash, or you can take it to a recycling center for reuse.
Interestingly, you can even keep your old hamburger grease and use it to make candles. If you strain the grease with an old t-shirt to get rid of the impurities so that only the fat remains, you can actually create candles with the old grease.
