Special to the Times
Jefferson County CEO Tony Petelos is reminding residents to recycle their used cooking oil and grease, especially during the upcoming holiday season.
“Thanksgiving is the start of the holidays which often includes meals and social gatherings with family and friends,” said Petelos. “Jefferson County’s Household Cooking Oil and Grease Recycling Program provides a free and convenient way for residents to prevent costly repairs and inconvenience by keeping oil and grease out of their kitchen sink drains and consequently out of the sanitary sewer system.”
Jefferson County currently maintains 21 Household Cooking Oil and Grease Recycling Centers. Each center contains free plastic gallon jugs for residents to take home and fill with used cooking oil and grease. Once jugs are full, residents can drop them off at a center and take a new container.
Proper disposal of used cooking oil and grease can save Jefferson County residents both money and time. Pouring cooking oil or grease down the kitchen drain creates clogged drains at home as well as clogs and overflows in the sanitary sewer system. Service calls to unclog drains can be expensive and disruptive to your holiday events. Sanitary sewer system overflows can cause raw sewage to flow into streets and yards, back up into homes, and pollute local creeks and streams. Raw sewage is a serious health hazard to people and the environment.
Deep fried turkeys and other fried foods can create many gallons of used cooking oil and grease which always should be recycled, not poured down drains or onto the ground. Even everyday meal preparation generates some amount of oil and grease which should be scraped into a container and recycled, never washed down the kitchen drain, since it can build up in the pipes.
Disposing of used cooking oil or grease outside on the ground attracts animals and insects, some of which can carry disease or become pests. In addition, rain washes oil and grease on the ground into local streams, affecting water quality and harming fish.
Recycling used household cooking oil and grease at one of Jefferson County’s 21 centers is a free and easy way to help reduce clogs at home and problems in the sanitary sewer system. Jefferson County maintains and operates over 3,000 miles of sanitary sewer lines which serve 480,000 people.
Locations of Household Cooking and Grease Recycling Centers
- Adamsville Pharmacy
3633 Gray Avenue
Adamsville, AL 35005 - Birmingham Botanical Gardens
2612 Lane Park Road
Birmingham, AL 35223 - Bessemer Fire Station # 3
2316 Morgan Road
Bessemer, AL 35022 - Bessemer Fire Station #4
495 Flint Hill Road
Bessemer, AL 35022 - Bessemer Recycling Center
1601 1st Avenue North
Bessemer, AL 35020 - Center Point – The Pointe Apartments
1814 Bond Circle
Birmingham, AL 35215 - Center Point Satellite Courthouse
2651 Center Point Parkway
Birmingham, AL 35215 - Gardendale Fire Station #1
1811 Decatur Hwy.
Gardendale, AL 35071 - Homewood City Works building:
187 Citation Court
Homewood, AL 35209 - Hueytown City Hall
1318 Hueytown Road
Hueytown, AL 35023 - Jefferson County re-fueling station
2420 8th Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35203 - Leeds Fire Station #2
8475 1st Avenue SE
Leeds, AL 35094 - Midfield Fire Station
704 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
Midfield, AL 35228 - North Smithfield Greenleaf Heights
4635 North Smithfield Drive
Birmingham, AL 35207 - Pinson Rock School Recycling Center
4509 Center Point Road
Pinson, AL 35126 - Tarrant City Hall
1604 Pinson Valley Parkway
Tarrant, AL 35217 - Trussville Fire Station #1
131 Main Street
Trussville, AL 35173 - Trussville Fire Station #2
7317 Roper Road
Trussville, AL 35173 - Trussville Fire Station #3
8160 Gadsden Highway
Trussville, AL 35173 - UAB Campus
620 11th St. South.
Birmingham, AL 35233 - Vestavia Hills
3400 Chestnut Ridge Lane
Vestavia Hills, AL 35216
Guidelines for household cooking oil and grease recycling:
- Edible oil products ONLY (cooking oil or grease)
- Allow oil to cool before pouring into container
- Pick up one of our free containers (available at each location) or use your own with a sealed lid; NO GLASS please!
- No fuel or motor oil will be accepted
Any questions about the recycling program, please call 205-238-3876
