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YORK REGION>Services>Garbage and Recycling
 
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Recycling Cooking Oil in York Region

 

What can I do with my Cooking Oil?

 

Liquid cooking oil (e.g. vegetable oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, etc.):

 

Residents can now recycle their liquid cooking oil (i.e. non-animal fat) at the McCleary Court Community Environmental Centre in the City of Vaughan.

 

Cooking oil can be dropped off in a tightly sealed container free of charge. Each container must be less than four litres in size.

 

Please click here to view the hours of operation and location information for the McCleary Court CEC.

 

The cooking oil recycling program is for York Region residents only. Cooking oil will not be accepted from businesses (Industrial, Commercial or Institutional sources).

 

Below is a list of oils accepted and not accepted in the cooking oil recycling program.

Oil accepted in green bin
As well, small volumes of liquid cooking oil, such as vegetable oil can be placed in the Green Bin. It is recommended that this oil be added along with something that is absorbent, such as bread or paper towels. 

 

 

Animal fats (solidified fat, lard, butter, shortening):

 

Animal fats are not accepted in the cooking oil recycling program. However, they can be added to the Green Bin once they have cooled and hardened.  A good practice to ensure that no oil goes down the drain is to wipe excess oil from your pots and pans with a paper towel before washing. The oil soaked paper towel can then go in the Green Bin. 

 

It is not recommended that you place cooking oil, fat or grease in your backyard composter.

 

Cooking Oil Concerns

 
Each year, York Region has to repair sewage pipe damage due to fat, oil and grease. There is a common misconception that rinsing oil down the drain with hot water will prevent it from hardening, but oil and water do not mix and the oil eventually cools and hardens inside the pipes. Cooking oil contaminates the sewage system and potentially poses health risks and environmental hazards.
 
When oils are washed down the drain into the sewage system, they harden and adhere to the inside of the pipes, which build up over time and can block the system. As a result, problems of raw sewage overflowing in homes, neighbourhoods, parks and streets can occur. Consequently, this results in more spending in the operations and maintenance of a city's infrastructure to repair the damages.
 
In addition to damaging the community's infrastructure, oil released into the system can pose a threat to the environment. In particular, oil pollution reduces the oxygen levels in the water by preventing oxygen from dissolving into the water. As well, oxygen is consumed during oil decomposition. These reduced oxygen levels result in an oxygen poor environment where aquatic plants and animals will not thrive. Therefore, it is crucial to never pour oil or grease down the drains.

 

Benefits of recycling your liquid cooking oil

 

Used cooking oil can be manufactured into biodiesel, which is currently used by York Region transit buses, and other vehicles with diesel-engines. Biodiesel is a sustainable, biodegradable fuel that burns cleaner, releasing fewer toxic emissions in the air, which is better for the environment than gasoline or diesel.

 

Contact Us

 
For more information please contact us at EnvironmentalServices@york.ca or call York Region at 1-877-449-9675 ext. 3000.
 
 
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