Ideas To Reuse Used Cooking Oil

What do you usually do with used cooking oil? Some people leave it in a container and then take it to a recycling container. If this option does not exist in your city, it is possible that you throw it into the garden, the garbage can or simply let it go down the kitchen sink.

Discharging used cooking oil down the drain is not a suitable choice. Surely you already know. This oil mixes with the remains of the detergent and, in addition to harboring all kinds of bacteria, little by little it clogs the pipes.

It is a risk and a danger to the environment. It is worth taking this into account and considering these interesting options to properly recycle your used cooking oil. Do you dare to put them into practice?

Negative effects of used cooking oil in our environment

Sometimes we are not aware of what our daily actions cause in the environment. A piece of paper left in the field, a plastic bottle thrown on the beach, that used cooking oil that we throw down the sink. All of this has consequences for the environment, and we must take it into account.

Take note of the negative effects associated with not properly recycling used cooking oil:

• Used cooking oil clogs pipes. When mixed with other chemicals, such as fabric softeners or detergents, it creates a gelatinous layer in which waste and bacteria become trapped.
• Oil, as we all know, does not mix with water, but stays in the upper layers and forms a kind of layer that prevents proper oxygenation of the waters. It is harmful to the animals in the environment.
• Some of this oil adheres to the gills and skin of the fish.
• If we throw the used cooking oil into the garden, in the long run that land will be infertile.

Ideas for reusing used cooking oil

1. Homemade laundry detergent

You will need the following products:

• 1 liter of used oil.
• 200 grams of caustic soda.
• 10 liters of water.
• 100 grams of lavender essential oil.

Steps to prepare this homemade detergent:

• Find a ventilated place, away from children or pets. Put on plastic gloves and goggles.
• Put five liters of cold water in a bucket.
• Then slowly drop the caustic soda carefully so that it does not splatter. Use a wooden stick to stir this mixture and avoid inhaling the vapors it gives off. It is dangerous, keep in mind that this mixture will begin to heat up, and if it splashes you, it could burn you.
• Pour the used cooking oil into the bucket while stirring. When the mixture has come together, add the lavender essential oil as well.

• It is necessary to be constant when stirring and, above all, to be patient. It is a long process that will take you a little over half an hour, during which time, you should not stop stirring with the wooden stick. You will see that, little by little, it takes on consistency and that everything is unified and thick.
• Now let this homemade soap sit for a whole day. After 24 hours, add the remaining 5 liters of water and stir vigorously again. Once again, let this mixture sit.
• Ideally, repeat this process for 5 days. Stir every morning (you don’t need to add more water).

You will see how it solidifies, acquiring a soap consistency very similar to the one we buy in stores. After this time, you can pack it and use it.

2. Homemade candles

You will need the following:

• A beautiful jar that serves as a container for the candle.
• A wire for the base of the wick.
• A cotton thread (with a length of about 4 centimeters, greater than the height of the chosen bottle).

• Used cooking oil that will fit in the jar.
• 2 drops of sandalwood essential oil.

How do we make it?

• First, let the cooking oil that you are going to use rest, at least overnight. The next day filter it. To do this, use a piece of cloth. In this way, you will obtain a purer oil without residues.
• Next, prepare the wick for the candle. Use the wire to make the base and that the cotton thread can be held in the center so that the flame is maintained. To do this, make a small base by winding the wire and then hook the cotton thread on it.
• Leave this wire with the cotton string in the center of the jar and pour in the used cooking oil, being careful not to fill it all the way. Lastly, add the drops of sandalwood essential oil.
• You can now light your homemade candle.

Tips for recycling used oil

As we discussed at the beginning, throwing used oil down the sink can have serious consequences for the environment. The ideal is to take it to a clean point or reuse it in the ideas that we have given you.

To recycle cooking oil properly, follow these steps:

• Let the used oil cool.
• Carefully pour into a large, sturdy, 5-liter container and cover.
• Store the container in a cool place until it is full. Do not mix the oil with any other liquid or product.
• Once the container is full, take it to a clean recycling point.

Cooking oil can be recycled in a number of ways. It is often used as a fuel that can run in diesel engines. Biodiesel is generally made by a chemical conversion process, but some companies also filter the oil for direct use as fuel.