Newton, NC – As you prepare to fry this year’s Thanksgiving turkey, Catawba County Utilities & Engineering encourages you to recycle your used cooking oil afterward through Catawba County’s cooking oil recycling program. The program recycles used cooking oil and grease into clean-burning, locally-made biodiesel fuel.
“When cooking oil is poured down the drain, it solidifies into thick layers inside drainpipes and constricts water flow,” said Amanda Kain, Catawba County Recycling and Waste Reduction. “Over time, clogged sewers result in unsanitary conditions including overflows in the street, foul-smelling odors, and irreversible damage to sewer pipes.”
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)
Available year-round, 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 Kain. “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. The benefits of recycling these cooking byproducts are well worth the effort.”
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.
