Published On: Wed, Nov 4th, 2020

Don’t be a Turkey – Recycle Used Cooking Oil

SWA’s November Household Hazardous Waste Tip 

Fried turkeys are a Thanksgiving treat, but that used cooking oil? Not so much. 

All home cooking oils – frying oil and bacon and hamburger drippings – can cause problems with plumbing, sewage collection systems and septic systems, needing the help of professional plumbing assistance from their local plumbing services to get unclogged. If dumped down any drain, these oils can clog pipes, even if washed down with hot water. Blocked pipes can also cause sewage backups – an unappetizing thought and would usually require the services of a plumbing company

Fortunately, Palm Beach County residents can recycle their used cooking oil for FREE, including canola, corn, olive, peanut and vegetable oils, as well as lard. 

To recycle your oil: 

  • Allow the used cooking oil to cool. 
  • Carefully pour the cooled cooking oil into a large, sturdy plastic or wax-coated leak-proof container no larger than 5 gallons, such as the original container or a juice carton. 
  • Cap the container securely. 
  • Don’t mix the used cooking oil with any other liquids or products. 
  • Take to any of the SWA’s seven Home Chemical and Recycling Centers [swa.org]

The SWA’s locations include (from north county to south county): 

  1. Jupiter No County Transfer Station  14185 Military Trail (SWA Rd) Monday – Friday: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.  & Saturday: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. 
  2. West Palm Beach Home Chemical and Recycling Center 
    6161 N. Jog Rd 
    Monday – Friday: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.  & Saturday: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  3. Belle Glade – Glades Regional Transfer Station 
    1701 State Road 15
    Monday – Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
  4. Royal Palm Beach West Central Transfer Station 
    9743 Weisman Way
    Monday – Friday: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.  & Saturday: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. 
  5. Lantana Central County Transfer Station 
    1810 Lantana Rd 
    Monday – Friday: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.  & Saturday: 7 a.m. – 12 p.m. 
  6. Delray Beach – West  – SW County Transfer Station 
    13400 S State Road 7 
    Monday – Friday: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.  & Saturday: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. 
  7. Delray Beach – East S County Transfer Station 
    1901 SW 4th Ave. 
    Monday – Friday: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. & Saturday: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

This used cooking oil drop off program is for residential cooking oil only. Commercial and industrial customers must contact a licensed commercial grease hauler for cooking oil disposal. Call 561-687-1100 for disposal options. 

For more information on recycling cooking oil, go to SWA.org/CookingOil

In the last fiscal year, Palm Beach County residents recycled 40,845 pounds of cooking oil at the SWA’s Home Chemical and Recycling Centers. Overall, the SWA’s Home Chemical and Recycling Centers either recycled or safely disposed of 4.1M pounds of household hazardous wastes. 

Remember, pollution prevention starts at home. A full list of household hazardous wastes can be found at SWA.org/HCRC or call 561.697.2700 or 866-SWA-INFO (toll-free) to learn more about the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County’s Home Chemical and Recycling Centers. 

The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County is a Dependent Special District created by the Florida Legislature in 1975. Since then, the SWA has developed an award-winning integrated solid waste management system to handle the county’s waste and recyclables.

Each year the SWA

  • Processes almost 100,000 tons of recyclables each year 
  • Burns approximately 1.8 million tons of trash each year to generate electricity at renewable energy facilities 
  • Produces enough electricity to power approximately 74,000 homes 
  • Recycles more than 150,000 tons of wastewater treatment residuals (sludge from flushes) into environmentally-friendly fertilizer 
  • Safely disposes of more than 4.1 million pounds of home hazards a year 
  • Collects water off of the roofs of Renewable Energy Facility 2 and store it in a 2 million gallon cistern, which is used as part of the energy making process 

Anyone can now sign up to receive SWA news, calendar updates, jobs, or other Web postings of interest by signing up online.

The PBC Board of County Commissioners act as the Board for the SWA. Currently, Commissioner Robert S Weinroth is Board Chair, Commissioner Gregg Weiss is Board Vice Chair and Commissioner Mack Bernard is the Board Secretary.

New Board officers will be selected on November 17, 2020 in conjunction with the Board of County Commissioners annual organizational meeting at which time newly elected Commissioners Maria Sachs and Maria Marino will be seated.

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