As healthy as we like to make our meals, it is inevitable to come across household grease and cooking oil in your kitchen. Where does the oil and grease come from you may ask? Well whenever you prepare items such as meat fats, butter / margarine, shortening, lard, baking goods or cooking oil you will see that the fatty liquids will begin to add up.

The wrong way to dispose it

If you are currently disposing these liquids down the drain, stop immediately! It is incredibly bad for your plumbing as well as the sewer system. Fat, oil and greases (FOG) waste causes build-ups and eventually creates blockages in the sewer system. Not to mention it will ruin your household plumbing, where you will end up calling the plumber a lot more often than you would like!

The right way to dispose it

Once you’ve finished cooking, let the oil cool down completely before you begin disposing it. Sometimes the oil used to deep-fry foods can be reused several times as long as you strain it and keep it in a clean container. For the FOG you can no longer use anymore consider looking for a local recycling depot that would accept it, or even look for a local restaurant that would send it off with their commercial recycling waste services. If the above options are not available to you, then instead of pouring it down the drain, solidify the oil by mixing it with paper towels, cat litter, bark chips or even sand to safely throw it along with your garbage. You can also collect it in a sealed plastic jar, but since it can be broken on the way to the landfill, it will be unsanitary and unsafe for the city workers who collect your waste every week.

Ways to reuse it

Small amounts of used cooking oil can be used for compost along with your kitchen scraps. You can also use it to lube squeaky doors and other household metal items.

Remember, there's always a way to recycle, reuse, reduce and rethink. Once you incorporate the four ways of minimizing our daily household waste, then we are walking the talk of being responsible for our environment.

Joanna is a freelance writer that dotes on family values and environmental issues. She also reviews strollers for StrollerLife.com