Used Cooking Oil Recycling in Charlotte: Containers, Pickup and Records

Every fryer in your kitchen ends up with the same question: where does the old oil go? Done right, used cooking oil gets collected on a schedule, recycled, and documented. Done wrong, it ends up in a drain, a leaking container or the back of an unknown truck, and the problem lands on your kitchen.

Why it matters

Used cooking oil poured down a drain becomes grease in your lines and your trap. Charlotte Water's FlowFree program tells restaurants not to pour waste oil down drains, and to collect it, let it cool and store it for recycling or disposal. Oil that leaks from a damaged container can reach a storm drain. And as the business that made the waste, your kitchen is responsible for where it goes.

The container

• Closed, covered and in good shape, with no leaks
• Placed where the hauler can reach it, away from storm drains
• Sized for how much oil you change, so it never overflows between pickups
• Kept clean around the base, since spills attract problems and slip hazards

The pickup

Collection works best on a recurring schedule set by your fryer volume. A kitchen that changes oil often needs more frequent pickups than a light fryer kitchen. The hauler should be licensed, and the oil should go to a processor that recycles it.

The records

Each pickup should leave a record: the date, who collected it and how much was taken. Keep those records with your grease trap reports. If an inspector, your landlord or your corporate office asks where your oil goes, you can show them in a minute. Our Charlotte FlowFree grease trap guide covers the trap side.

Watch for oil theft

Used cooking oil has value, which is why containers sometimes get emptied by someone who is not your hauler. Signs include a container that is emptier than it should be, a broken lid or lock, or a pickup with no record. A locking container and a pickup record for every visit make it easy to spot.

One vendor for oil, traps and hoods

TruShine collects used cooking oil and handles grease traps, drain jetting, hood and exhaust cleaning and deep cleaning on one schedule. One crew, one calendar, one set of records. See our used cooking oil service in Charlotte and our grease trap service in Charlotte.

Frequently Asked Questions