By Ali · Updated July 2026
Every Australian kitchen eventually faces the pan of used oil question. The sink feels like the obvious answer, and it is the one answer that is always wrong. Here is what actually happens to fat in your pipes, and the two minute routine that handles oil properly every time.
Oil poured down the drain does not stay liquid. It cools, coats the inside of your pipes, and binds with everything else that comes through. In your own plumbing that means slow drains and eventually a plumber. In the sewer network it means fatbergs, the congealed masses of fat and wet wipes that water utilities spend millions of dollars a year cutting out of pipes. Sydney Water alone removes hundreds of tonnes of fat related blockages annually.
Hot water and detergent do not fix this; they just move the problem a few metres further down the pipe before the oil cools and sets anyway. The same goes for pouring oil into the garden, where it repels water, harms soil life, and attracts rats.
For the everyday pan of oil or the fat from a roast, the routine is simple and takes less time than washing up.
If your household generates oil regularly, keep one dedicated container going instead of hunting for a jar every time. An old coffee tin or a large jar lives in the freezer or the back of the fridge, each batch of cooled oil gets added, and the whole thing goes into the general waste bin the night before collection once it is full. Freezing sets the oil solid, which means no leaks in the bin and no smell in summer.
A deep fryer holds several litres, and that much oil should not really go in the kerbside bin even when contained. Most council transfer stations and household chemical drop off events accept used cooking oil in sealed containers, usually free for household quantities. Check your council website for the nearest option, or search the address lookup on this site to find your council first.
Some recyclers and biodiesel collectors also take used cooking oil from households, particularly in metro areas. It is worth a search if you fry often, because collected oil gets a second life as biodiesel or industrial product instead of going to landfill.
Liquid oil never goes in the recycling bin, with or without a container. Oil is one of the worst contaminants in paper and cardboard recycling; a single leaking container can write off a truckload of otherwise good material. The empty, wiped out oil bottle itself is usually fine in the yellow bin once the residue is gone.
FOGO rules vary by council. Small amounts of oil absorbed into paper towel are accepted by many food organics services, but pouring liquid oil into the green bin is a no everywhere. When in doubt, general waste in a sealed container is the answer that is never wrong.
No. Hot water and detergent only carry the oil a little further before it cools and sets in the pipes. It contributes to blockages in your own plumbing and fatbergs in the sewer network. Cool it, contain it, and put it in general waste instead.
General waste, cooled and sealed in a disposable container like a jar, tin or milk carton. Never loose in the bin, never in the recycling bin, and never poured into the FOGO bin.
Most council transfer stations accept household quantities of used cooking oil in sealed containers, often free. Some areas also have chemical drop off days or commercial oil collectors that take household oil for biodiesel.
Yes, once it is empty and wiped out. It is the liquid oil that contaminates recycling, not the bottle. Drain it well, give it a quick wipe or rinse, and the plastic bottle goes in the yellow bin.