How to Dispose of Bacon Grease in the Apartment?
Bacon has become synonymous with breakfast for many of us. It’s a shame it’s not good for us to eat all the bacon we can for health benefits. Nevertheless, an occasional plate of bacon never hurt anyone.
If you live in an apartment complex, it can be difficult to know all the disposal methods for everyday waste. Now, I’m sure you wonder what you can do with all the grease bacon releases while cooking. Keep reading because this article will explain how you can dispose of bacon fat properly and learn a thing or two about how not to dispose of bacon fat. Most importantly, I will go over how you can reuse this grease to minimize generating waste.
How to Dispose of Bacon Grease in the Apartment?
Bacon grease is considered a general waste and can be discarded in the trash with other general waste items.
Keep in mind that bacon grease hardens when it cools down and you should wait until it cools before you discard it.
If you are an occasional bacon eater and only end up with a few tablespoons of bacon on the frying pan each time you cook, the best thing to do is to wait until the fat hardens on the pan.
Once it hardens, scrape it off the pan with a spatula and toss the fat into the garbage bin. Wipe the pan with a tissue afterward to make sure all the fat is gone. Then toss the tissue paper in the trash.
If you have a lot of bacon grease you can pour it into a small, disposable container and wait for it to harden. Make sure you do not pour the grease into the container while it’s extremely hot.
This will cause the plastic in the container to melt. Wait until the grease is cooled a little, then pour it.
Once it hardens, you should close the cap of the container and then throw it in the trash. You can use old yogurt or other one-time food containers for this purpose.
If you cook bacon often, you can save the bacon grease in the container until it’s full.
This will minimize waste and save more plastic from being thrown into landfills. It’s always good to wipe the pan with a tissue or paper towel to remove excess grease.
Remember that mixing bacon grease with soapy water does not make it safe to pour down the drain. There are common misconceptions about getting rid of bacon grease I will cover next.
How not to dispose of bacon grease:
You should never throw bacon grease down the drain, any drain. This is because the grease will solidify and cling to the walls of the pipes. This will consequently block the pipe and cost you an expensive plumbing bill.
Even if you do not need to call the plumber, you will experience a partly clogged drain that will take much longer to drain the water.
Bacon grease creates awful odors when it’s decomposing so it’s likely that it’ll come out of the kitchen sink, it doesn’t sound pleasant, does it? Water does not wash fat off the walls so just do not make the mistake of throwing fat down the drain.
You should also not try to compost bacon grease. If you live in an apartment I am going to assume you have no space for composting, but I am just doing my civic duties letting you know animal products are usually a bad idea to try and compost.
They allow the growth of pathogenic microbes which may cause disease to you or anyone around you. Also, it creates a foul odor you don’t want to experience.
Alternative ways to use bacon grease:
Not long ago, humankind cooked all their meals with animal fats. Even now, many dishes require lard or shortening to cook. You can use bacon grease for recipes that require lard or shortening as a replacement.
Bacon grease can be made to bake authentic gingersnap cookies as well. Besides these, you can replace vegetable oils with bacon grease every now and then to add that extra rich flavor into your meals.
There are many recipes online that use bacon grease in their cooking to enrich the flavor of the dish. You can also use bacon grease to pan-fry vegetables. You can make bacon butter out of the grease as well. It’s a great spread to have with bread.
If you’re on a keto diet, these are all great ideas you can consider.
If you have a biodiesel company around you, and you have a large container of bacon grease you want to get rid of, you can contact them about their policy on accepting grease from citizens.
Even if you don’t have a biodiesel company nearby, there are dozens of culinary ways you can use up your bacon grease. It is always better for the environment to use up every bit of resource we can instead of throwing things into the trash.
Conclusion:
If you live in an apartment complex, it can be difficult to know all the disposal methods for everyday waste. Now, I’m sure you wondered what you can do with all the grease bacon releases while cooking.
If you read this article, you will know that it explains how you can dispose of bacon grease properly and learn a thing or two about how not to dispose of bacon grease. Most importantly, I went over how you can reuse this grease to minimize generating waste.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): How to Dispose of Chicken Grease
Can I throw bacon grease down the drain?
No, even if you have a garbage disposal it’s a good idea to not throw bacon grease down the drain. This grease will solidify when cooled and cling to the walls of the pipes restricting water flow.
Can I throw bacon grease into the garbage?
Yes, it is the best way to dispose of bacon grease.
Can I throw bacon grease on the soil in my backyard?
No, this is a bad idea. Bacon is an animal product and while decomposing it may allow the growth of pathogens. It also smells very strongly when it’s decomposing, so the foul odor will likely disturb you and your neighbors.
Can I recycle bacon grease?
Yes, you can recycle it by using it for cooking other foods, or as a bread spread. You can also give it to a local biodiesel company. You should check with the company first. But ideally, they will accept bacon fat as all food-grade fats are good for making biodiesel.
Can bacon grease be turned into fuel?
Yes, the biodiesel made from bacon fat and other animal fats is turned into fuel in some countries. Biodiesel can be used to run cars and it can generate energy for households.
Can I compost bacon grease?
No, it’s a bad idea to compost bacon grease. Bacon is an animal product so it will likely allow the growth of pathogens while decomposing. These pathogens cannot be killed at the temperature compost is made. This is a potential cause of illness for anyone handling the compost.
References:
- Kiss That Grease Goodbye. (2022). Retrieved 28 February 2022, from https://home-ec101.com/kiss-that-grease-goodbye/
- Hanula, D. (2022). What to Do With Oil After Cooking. Retrieved 28 February 2022, from https://www.budgetdumpster.com/blog/how-to-dispose-cooking-oil/
- How To Dispose Of Ground Beef Grease? – The Best Beef recipes. (2022). Retrieved 28 February 2022, from https://www.mainmoonwarren.com/beef/faq-how-to-dispose-of-ground-beef-grease.html
- FOG 101: How to Properly Dispose of Cooking Fat, Oil, and Grease. (2022). Retrieved 28 February 2022, from https://www.mrrooter.ca/mississauga/about-us/blog/2020/march/fog-101-how-to-properly-dispose-of-cooking-fat-o/
- How to Properly Dispose of Grease and Oil. (2022). Retrieved 28 February 2022, from https://lifehacker.com/how-to-properly-dispose-of-grease-and-oil-1570863303
- How to Drain Grease from Ground Beef. (2022). Retrieved 28 February 2022, from https://oakbarnbeef.com/blogs/best-dry-aged-beef-blog/how-to-drain-grease-from-ground-beef
- How to Drain Ground Beef. (2022). Retrieved 28 February 2022, from https://www.recipelion.com/Cooking-Tips/How-to-drain-ground-beef
- How to Dispose of Bacon Grease Correctly So You Don’t Clog Your Sink. (2022). Retrieved 1 March 2022, from https://spoonuniversity.com/how-to/how-to-dispose-of-bacon-grease
- 3 Ways to Dispose of Bacon Grease – wikiHow. (2022). Retrieved 1 March 2022, from https://www.wikihow.com/Dispose-of-Bacon-Grease
- How to Get Rid of Bacon Fat. (2022). Retrieved 1 March 2022, from https://www.thespruceeats.com/tips-for-discarding-bacon-fat-482385