Can You Recycle Oil Bottles and Containers?

Completely Empty the Oil Container 

The first step in oil bottle recycling is to get all the oil out of the container.  

Oil is hydrophobic, so the recycling facility can’t just rinse off the oil. Recycling facilities process a lot of items, so jugs with oil still in them will likely end up in a landfill. 

To get all the oil out of a container, place it upside down on a thick layer of paper towels. The longer you leave it like this, the more oil will come out. Be patient with it and let the oil drain out. 

Absorb Any Oil Still in the Container 

Even after leaving the container upside down for a long time, there’s a good chance there will still be a little bit of oil left in the container. This is inevitable, especially in areas of the jug like the lip of the pour hole. 

An easy way to get these smaller deposits of oil is to put something in the jug that can absorb the oil. A small amount of flour or sawdust can go a long way during this process. Put your preferred absorber into the jug and shake it up.  

Sadly, the oil collected this way cannot be recycled as it is mostly not oil. These oily particles will have to be dumped into a regular trash can. Luckily, the amount dumped this way is small. 

Put it in Your Recycling 

Now that you have a cleaned oil container, you’re able to recycle it! 

Every municipality does recycling a little bit differently. Some areas utilize drop-off locations for their recycling, while others have bins. Check with your local recycling program to see if they accept the type of plastics used in oil containers. 

Typically, this isn’t a problem, but it’s a good idea to get to know your local recycling practices and procedures. 

What If My City Doesn’t Have a Recycling Program? 

It is becoming increasingly rare for cities to not have a recycling program. If they don’t however, there might be other options to search for before condemning your container to the landfill.  

Some companies specialize in recycling certain materials, similar to DAR PRO Solutions. Do some research and find if any third-party companies are looking for recyclable plastics.  

If your options are incredibly limited there are always other sustainable options. For example, cooking oil containers can be reused in a number of ways. Clean them with soap and water and turn them into storage options for to-go containers, aprons, or tools. Ask around your restaurant and see if anyone could use them for garden or woodshop storage. 

Find Other Sustainable Solutions 

We’ve established the importance of keeping waste out of landfills. The more successful we are at doing that, the better chance we have at minimizing our ecological footprint. 

One of the greatest questions about sustainability is “How much good does this really do?” Sometimes, on a small scale, it might feel like we can’t do much, everything counts. DAR PRO Solutions is leading the pack when it comes to the production of sustainable biodiesel, and it’s all thanks to the restaurants we partner with.  

We offer used cooking oil storage solutions as well as automated pickup. When you partner with DAR PRO, you don’t have to worry about your used cooking oil. Start focusing on other sustainable solutions and make your restaurant as efficient as possible.