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Recycle Used Cooking Oil this Holiday Season

Recycle Used Cooking Oil this Holiday Season

Published: November 19, 2021

Frying your Thanksgiving turkey this year? Instead of pouring your used cooking oil down the drain, recycle it through Catawba County Utilities & Engineering’s cooking oil recycling program.

Available year-round, the program recycles used residential cooking oil and grease into clean-burning, locally-made biodiesel fuel.

“Cooking oil should never be poured down the drain, as it solidifies in the pipes and can cause major clogs and issues in your home and within local sewer systems,” said Ariel Kanupp, Catawba County recycling coordinator. “Do yourself and your neighbors a favor by disposing of your oil safely instead of clogging the sewers this holiday season.”

To recycle used cooking oil, allow leftover oil to cool before pouring it into a jar with a lid. Take it to one of the following locations during operating hours and carefully pour it into the appropriate recycling bin:

  • Catawba County Solidwaste Convenience Center - Blackburn (704-462-2496)
  • Catawba County Solidwaste Convenience Center - Bethany (828-465-4635)
  • Catawba County Solidwaste Convenience Center - Cooksville (704-462-1497)
  • Catawba County Solidwaste Convenience Center - Oxford (828-241-3774)
  • City of Newton Public Works - 210 N Ash Ave location (828-695-4288)

The County’s cooking oil recycling program is free of charge to Catawba County residents and is open to residents of Catawba County only. No business waste is accepted.

“Used cooking oil is the most environmentally sustainable raw material for biodiesel production,” said Kanupp. “Recycling it is a much better alternative to disposal, because the fuel it creates is environmentally friendly and can be used in any diesel engine. Recycling this cooking byproduct is not only good for the environment, it’s incredibly easy thanks to the five collection sites available in our county.”

For more information about the County’s cooking oil recycling program or recycling in general, call Catawba County Utilities & Engineering at 828-465-8217 or visit www.catawbacountync.gov.