Used cooking oil collection

With the holidays upon us many residents take delight in the unique practice of frying a turkey. This technique requires several gallons of oil to achieve the moist and tender results. Needless to say, once the turkey is done and the guests have enjoyed every morsel, all you are left with is the carcass and a large quantity of used cooking oil.

The carcass is easily enough disposed in the household garbage; but what to do with the oil? You can't put it down the drain, and you can't throw it in the trash, but you can bring it to the Lee County Solid Waste Division.

The Solid Waste Division has a program in place that accepts cooking oil from Dec. 3 through Jan. 4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Division's 6441 Topaz Court facility. The program is free of charge, so fry away knowing that your used cooking oil will be handled and recycled safely.

Please be careful this holiday season - oil and propane burners can have deadly consequences when not used properly.