Oil or grease dumpsters at restaurants are designed to safely store leftover cooking oil until it's picked up by a recycling or waste collection company. 

If workers overfill the bins or don't maintain them properly, it can create a hazardous situation, as one Reddit user discovered. 

What happened?

In the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, the original poster shared a photo of two oil dumpsters sitting in a filthy pool of grease that had presumably overflowed from the bins. While the restaurants set up a containment area to catch excess grease, it was, at best, a temporary fix. 

"Multiple restaurants refusing to properly dispose of their grease, all blaming each other," the OP wrote. 

Commenters noted that you can see several dead dragonflies floating in the sea of grease that had likely mistaken it for water, revealing the extent of environmental harm caused by the waste.

"The smell must be absolutely appalling," one person commented.

"Holy cow, that's awful. There are companies that pay to take the grease. I'd report this, it's a hazard," another remarked.

"They should all be fined by the city and charged for clean up," someone else shared.

Why is improper grease disposal concerning?

As commenters noted, the massive amount of grease poses a health hazard since it's highly flammable. It would just take one person accidentally dropping a cigarette to spark a dumpster fire, endangering anyone nearby. Plus, the smell likely isn't too pleasant for both the workers and customers walking by. 

The grease can also trap unsuspecting insects and wildlife, causing them to drown or impacting their ability to fly. 

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If the grease spills out of the containment area, it could enter waterways and sewer systems, polluting water sources and causing blockages in pipes. 

Redditors said it's also a major waste of resources, as the oil could be refined into biodiesel and reduce pollution from cars that run on traditional diesel. 

Are restaurants doing anything about this?

All restaurants have ways to dispose of used grease, either in collection bins or in-ground tanks until a recycling company hauls it away. 

There's likely a lot going on behind the scenes at the restaurants in the OP's post to explain the wasted grease. One Reddit user speculated that perhaps the landlord who owns the strip mall is behind on bills, or the oil collector may have its own issues. 

But without knowing what restaurants or waste collection companies own the dumpsters, The Cool Down can't speak on specific policies the businesses have surrounding grease disposal methods. 

Many restaurants already sell used cooking oil to recycling companies, where it's then purified and processed to make valuable products such as biofuels and animal feed. Some food companies have even made sustainable packaging from leftover oil. 

What else is being done about restaurant waste?

Restaurants are tackling waste in other ways, such as by installing in-house food recyclers to reduce waste in landfills and serving up food scraps — think cauliflower leaves or overripe peaches — in their dishes. 

Composting food scraps and small amounts of vegetable oil is also a great way to benefit the planet and save money on fertilizer if you have a garden. 

As far as used cooking oil goes, make sure not to pour it down your drain, as it can clog your pipes and lead to costly repairs. 

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