Here is why you should not pour used cooking oil down the kitchen sink but instead make some money out of it while saving the environment.
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We have been faced with this conundrum. Someone just bought you an uncooked pack of yummy fish crackers from Terengganu or you chanced upon a delicious recipe online for a fried chicken that you know your family would really love and your first thought is – what am I going to do with all that oil after I am done frying these things?
Deep-fried food is a vice a lot of us have but besides it being, let’s face it, unhealthy, it also requires a lot of cooking oil to pull off. Cooking oil that we basically do not know what to do with after. Reusing it poses health concerns and dumping it all down a sink creates an issue for your drainage. As such, many people just banish the thought of deep-frying and stick to baked chicken and store-bought crackers instead.
What if we told you that you can sell your used cooking oil for some cash and it will be used as biodiesel fuel that in the long run puts less harm on nature? We address some commons questions you may have on how to make this happen.
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How do you dispose of cooking oil in Malaysia?
Most people just quickly pour the excess cooking oil down the drainage of their sink. After all, it appears to be the quickest way to dispose of it and it sometimes appears as if there are no issues with doing it. Well, at least not immediately. What most people may not know is pouring used cooking oil in the public drainage system makes anaerobic bacteria grow, creating a rancid stench during dry weather and can clog drainpipes over the long term.
So if you are wondering why your sink is suddenly clogged, it could be because you’ve been pouring oil into it constantly over time. In 2016, the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) spent an eye-watering RM6 million that year alone on cleaning water pipes and drains clogged by used oil being poured down the kitchen sink.
If you are living in a high-rise, pouring it down the sink may create issues for other people who are living on the floors below you in your apartment or condo. If you keep pouring oil down your sink you will gradually create clogs and that same rancid stench maybe not on your floor, but on your poor neighbours’ floors. So do be conscientious.
Read more: These terrible neighbour stories will give you something to be grateful for
How do I sell my used cooking oil?
1. Preparing your used cooking oil to be sold
First things first, allow your oil to cool properly after you are done using it. Yes, you may be a little anxious to make a buck out of it so people sometimes forget this step. Not allowing it to cool properly is of course a safety hazard. Bottle them up in 1-litre plastic bottles so that it would be easier for the recycle centres to take them in and calculate how much to pay you. You are paid for the weight of oil you sell in most cases.
2. Arrange for collection if you are run a food business
If you run a food business and so have a substantial amount of used cooking oil to sell, then you can register with an organisation like FatHopes Energy or YM Recycle and they can set you up with a process that will make it easier for you to sell your used cooking oil to them moving forward. They will provide you with drums you can pour your cooking oil into for easy collection in the future.
3. Drop it off if your oil is from home
If you do not have a substantial amount of used cooking oil to sell because it is from your cooking at home, then it may be easier and more effective for you to drop it off for sale at selected centres yourself. There are many recycle centers that accept used cooking oil. Not all centres offer you payment for your used cooking oil though, so you may want to check first just to be sure.
4. Organisations that buy used cooking oil
There are many organisations that specialise in buying used cooking oil from users. A quick search on the Internet should get you hooked up with one that’s the nearest to where you live. Organisations that provide such services include:
- Alam Flora Buy Back Centre
- Green Yards
- FatHopes Energy
- YM Recycle
- Kitareward
Alternately you can also run a search for an organisation that is located near you that buys used cooking oil.
How much can I sell my used cooking oil?
The rates could vary a little depending on where you sell them, but a rough ballpark would be around the region of around 50 cents to RM1.50 per kg. Yes, it will not make you a millionaire overnight but why not make a little money while giving the environment a break while you enjoy your fish crackers? It is really a win-win.
What can used cooking oil be used for?
Used cooking oil and it turns out is pretty useful, so do not pour it down the sink! Just like paper, plastic, glass and metal, used cooking oil can be reused and repurposed into other things. It can be used for composting which would be a benefit to the agricultural sector. It can also be recycled into biodiesels and biofuels for vehicles. In some cases, it can even be made into common household products such as soaps and candles.
So yes, you can now enjoy the wonders of deep-frying without having to be too concerned with what you are going to do with the oil after. Granted you should not be eating so much deep-fried food, but we know the hankering for a good fried chicken can be strong sometimes. Do your part for the environment while making a buck and eating some fried chicken? It is almost too good to be true.
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