To store used cooking oil in a restaurant, let it cool, strain out the food bits, and pour it into a closed container that locks. Keep that container on flat ground, away from drains, and out of the rain. Keep water out of it. Then set a pickup day so it never overflows. Do not use open buckets, pans, or the dumpster.
This guide is for California restaurants. It covers storage between pickups.
What container should I use to store used cooking oil?
Use a closed, leakproof container made for used oil, with a lid that locks. Open pans and buckets spill, let rain in, and draw pests. Pick a size that holds all the oil your fryers make between pickups, with room to spare.
Do you need to buy a tank? Usually no. Most pickup services bring the container, so ask before you buy one.
How do I get used cooking oil ready to store?
Let it cool first. Used deep fryer oil is hot enough to burn skin and melt plastic. Wait until it is cool to the touch before you move it.
If you have a pump or a wheeled transfer caddy, use it. It keeps oil off hands and floors. Never carry hot oil in an open pot, and skip the stairs when you can.
Strain out big bits of food as you pour. For the full pickup-day routine, see how to prepare used cooking oil for pickup.
Where should I keep used cooking oil until pickup?
Keep it on flat, hard ground, under a roof if you can, and away from storm drains. Pick a spot your cooks can reach without stairs. The driver needs a clear path to it too, so keep pallets and parked cars out of the way.
Good light helps. A lit, tidy spot is easier to watch and easier to keep clean.
How do I keep water and food out of stored cooking oil?
Keep the lid shut, except when you pour. Rain, mop water, ice, and sanitizer should never reach the oil. Water and scraps lower the quality of the oil when it is recycled.
Pour in fryer oil only. Do not add trash or grease trap waste. Staff should also never pour oil into the dumpster.
How do I stop used cooking oil theft and spills?
Lock the container every time. The California Department of Food and Agriculture says thieves often break into these containers behind restaurants at night and pump out the oil. Spills can follow.
A bin must carry the name of the company that services it. If the name is missing, or does not match the truck, call. For more, read our guide to preventing used cooking oil theft.
For a spill, use a rag, absorbent, or broom. Never hose oil into the street or a storm drain.
How long can I keep used cooking oil before pickup?
Only as long as the container has room. Never overfill it. Long Beach tells restaurants to never overfill a grease storage container. Spilled oil draws pests and flies.
So match your pickup day to how fast the container fills. Busy weeks, like holidays, fill it faster. Ask for an earlier pickup before the bin gets full.
Does Oil Guyz supply the storage container?
Yes. Oil Guyz gives restaurants a free locked bin sized to the kitchen, and pumps the oil out in place. Pickup is on a set day sized to your volume. There is no fee, no contract, and no minimum.
Each free pickup in California is done by a transporter registered under the CDFA Inedible Kitchen Grease program, and the oil goes to a licensed renderer. You get a digital manifest after every pickup. Call (714) 880-4788 to set it up.
