When it comes to recycling, most people immediately think of metals and plastics. Did you know that there are various other forms of materials that can be recycled? It's true. Depending on the community where you reside, many of the times you can also recycle a number of materials you would never think would be on the list of recyclables. One of those materials is grease. Whenever people see this connection between recycling and grease, a series of questions generally pops into one's head. What types of grease can be recycled? What happens to grease when it is recycled? Why should I recycle my grease? Luckily, you have this article to help you answer your questions about grease recycling.

What Types Of Grease Can Be Recycled?

This is generally the first question that is asked whenever someone discovers that they can, in fact, recycle grease. Generally speaking, the two major forms of grease that can be recycled are those that are most common in your kitchen: fat and cooking oil. Although, depending on your community, you may be able to recycle other types of grease.

It is best to stay in contact with your community's recycling community to discover what sort of grease related items can be properly recycled. In fact, you will benefit greatly from recycling cooking oils and fats. By pouring these items down the drain, you are actually in the service of damaging your drain and eventually your pocketbook. These greases can ruin perfectly good drains by coating them in grease. The drain is mainly meant for water travel and not for other foreign objects, even if they might be a liquid, such as grease.

What Happens To Grease When It Is Recycled?

What good could cooking oil and fats do if you recycle them? This is another question that truly varies from community to community or city to city, but mostly, the city will begin by running your old grease – mostly cooking oil – through an anaerobic digester.

An anaerobic digester is a machine that breaks down the core constituents of grease without the use of oxygen and transforms it into a content known as biogas. Biogas is actually a reusable resource that can be used to power any number of things. It can be used to generate electricity or can even be used as a fuel for a number of vehicles.

Some cities will send this biogas to biodiesel plants where it can be used to burn cleaner petroleum and "fuel" other sorts of fuels. Recycling grease not only has the utilitarian value of not causing your sink to clog up, but you're also doing the environment a service by recycling your cooking oils and fats.

Why Should I Recycle My Grease?

In addition to the reasons above, it's simply the right thing to do. By recycling your grease, you are doing a great service to, not only yourself, but your community, as well. By recycling grease, you're helping to ultimately lower the cost of cleaner burning fuels such as biogas and biodiesel.

It's important for the future of the world that we recycle any substances that we can and this includes grease. It is not particularly difficult to recycle grease, either. Simply collect the cooking oil and fat from your old pots and pans and place them in community-ordained containers to be picked up by your local government representatives.

It is important for everyone to recycle any material that they know is recyclable, whether it is easy or not to properly recycle. Luckily, grease is one of the substances that is quite easy to recycle. Begin recycling your grease today for a brighter future tomorrow!

Contact a recycling service center in your area to learn all the things you can bring to be recycled properly.