# Getting rid of old canola oil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2009, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254 "2009-05-21T23:48:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/1 "2009-05-21T23:48:39Z")
How do I get rid of three-year-old canola oil? I have about a quart that I discovered hiding in a cabinet. I’ve done some basic research, but the options - like soaking it up in kitty litter - are less than optimal. For the record, I’m in an apartment with no recycling (and no cats allowed). I do know of one place that takes all the cleaners and stuff from under your sink. I can call them to see if they’ll take a quart of canola oil. Beyond that I go nuthin. So, how do I get rid of old unused cooking oil? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/2 "2009-05-22T00:18:11Z")
What’s so bad about throwing it out? It isn’t toxic or anything - am I a bad person or something? ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/3 "2009-05-22T00:24:59Z")
You know, I don’t really know. I just don’t want to put a bunch of oil in plastic bag that gets thrown in a dumpster and maybe splatted all over… and… I don’t have reason, I guess. I just figured there’s got to be a better way of getting rid of it than loose quarts of oil out in the wild of the landfill? Yeah, I got nuthin. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/4 "2009-05-22T00:32:30Z")
I don’t know where ibôápka is, but around here there are hazardous waste stations that will take that stuff. Are there any fast food joints with fryers that would let you dump it in their waste oil barrel? I think they may actually get paid for it these days. Canola oil is pretty harmless stuff, so you could just poor it over some newspapers and stick in a plastic bag, but I’m sure you could just toss the whole bottle into the garbage. ---
**Author:** ![Rich\_Mann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@Rich\_Mann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rich_Mann)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/5 "2009-05-22T00:38:42Z")
Ever heard of bio-diesel? There are people who will pay you for old cooking oil–even used! Having said that, I don’t know who to contact about it.☹ ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/6 "2009-05-22T02:39:02Z")
I’d probably drink it. Does canola oil really go bad? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/7 "2009-05-22T02:40:19Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I’d probably drink it. Does canola oil really go bad? Yup. Cooking oils can get rancid after a while. A taste will be pretty definitive. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/8 "2009-05-22T02:50:07Z")
That’s your retirement grease. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/9 "2009-05-22T03:21:21Z")
[Make soap](http://tellumo.net/2006/09/05/soap-lard-and-canola-oil/). ---
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/10 "2009-05-22T03:25:44Z")
Know any bear hunters? They use used cooking oil, but I don’t know about unused. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/11 "2009-05-22T14:06:32Z")
::chuckles:: I have enough old canola oil to try all these things, I think… ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/12 "2009-05-22T14:32:41Z")
It’s not toxic, so you don’t have to worry about contaminating the water supply, and it’s not solid at room temperature, so it won’t clog the pipes – if it were me, I’d probably just pour it down the toilet and flush a couple of times. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/13 "2009-05-22T14:42:21Z")
Canola oil is vegetable oil, it’s not hazardous or toxic like motor oil is. You could just go out and pour it around the base of a tree or bush. It will soak into the ground and feed the bugs and plants just fine. No worries. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-old-canola-oil/497254/14 "2009-05-22T14:59:56Z")
Your concern is not unfounded. When I had volunteered at a wild bird rehab center we’d see an occasional gull that had been soaked with cooking oil, presumably from the dump. When their feathers get dirty with some thing like oil they don’t insulate the bird anymore and the bird can die from exposure or drown when they no longer float on water. Yes, I know oil floats on water but oily birds don’t float as well. That said, I still don’t know what to do with your oil but you can check your cities hazardous waste collection, as suggested. You usually have to drop the stuff off yourself so you may want to take the opportunity to do a little housecleaning and check for old paints and other household chemicals you can take there, too.