Forum Topic

Disposing of olive oil

My olive oil has expired its sell by date and I want get rid of it. There's still half a bottle left. Can I pour it into the soil in my garden if I dig a hole? I've googled this, but am still not sure. Obviously it can't go down the plug hole. Any ideas, please?

Jill Merrett ● 2082d40 Comments

Probably still be fine. Use it on baked spuds if worried so it gets hot.

Russell Pearson ● 2082d

You can use it on your hair after washing it, use sparingly it's great for dry hair.

Janice Evans ● 2082d

Sell by dates are not the same as use by dates, having said that oils can go rancid. Trust your nose and if ok use it.

Ben Halloren ● 2082d

Jill, do you mean sell by date or use by date? sell by is only for the sellers advice.However whilst I was checking I found this:-Once opened, olive oil continues to remain usable for two years past its expiration date, while most other types of oil remain viable for one year. The exception to this is hazelnut oil, which should be used in three months, and sesame oil, which should be used within eight months of opening. Store oil in a cool pantry to extend its shelf life.I hope this may be useful.

Bob Guyett ● 2082d

I think you are probably safe to still use it but it's perfectly fine to pour on your garden,it won't do harm.

Keith Iddon ● 2082d

You can take it to the recycling centre to dispose.https://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/201171/recycling_services/292/re-use_and_recycling_centres_and_sites/2

Ed Saper ● 2082d

https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/best-before-and-use-by-dates#

Philippa Bond ● 2082d

Thanks folks for your advice, much appreciated! The bottle states BB. I haven't stored it correctly - too near the cooker. It smells just a tad musty. It's probably fine, but I'd like to get a new small bottle. I think I'll pour it into the back of my garden. I certainly won't be using it on my hair - yuck!

Jill Merrett ● 2082d

Ha, have use it for years, sparingly on towel dried hair then blow dryIt just dries as usual not sticky or anything.  My Nan started me on it for dry hair as always had long hair, it's mid length now and still use it.

Janice Evans ● 2081d

And talking of hair, Aveda have change the ingredients of the most popularShampure shampoo and the new one is just not good.

Janice Evans ● 2081d

Lol - your hair will look like you haven’t washed it in ages

Katja Urban ● 2081d

Drink it  and if its OK it will cure constipation, If its not OK it will do the same but quicker

Rudolf Hucker ● 2081d

Not at all Katja, lots of people use it,

Janice Evans ● 2081d

Olive oil is monounsaturated fat and is absorb by the hair.

Janice Evans ● 2081d

Welcome Rudolf.  Although I see you are not completely new hereWe need pragmatists to sort out movements in Chiswick

James Roy ● 2081d

Why can’t you pour it down your drain? It doesn’t solidify.

Steve Taylor ● 2081d

You should never put fat or oil into a drain, particularly in freezing weather as it is likely to congeal and hinder the flow of liquids and solids and can lead to problems.

Keith Iddon ● 2081d

If you're worried about putting it down your sink pour it into a street drain. With all the stuff which goes down there a bit of olive oil won't make any difference.

David Halliday ● 2081d

But it could well make quite a difference to the flow in the drains.

Keith Iddon ● 2081d

Fatberg Warning!"In total, we clear around 75,000 blockages from our sewers each year. Most of these are caused by cooking fats and oils, which harden to form a thick layer of gunk inside pipes. When non-biodegradable items like wet wipes, sanitary items and cotton pads are flushed down the loo, they combine with the gunk. This forms huge lumps called fatbergs. Over time, these block pipes, forcing raw sewage back up drains, plugholes and toilets."https://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/responsibility/bin-itAn awful lot of stuff gets put down the drains that should not be.  It's not surprising there are so many blockages when you see what gets put down.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/fb-6019745/HOW-FATBERGS-COST-PUBLIC.html(Jill knows not to pour oil down the drain!)

Philippa Bond ● 2081d

Definitely don’t pour it down the drain.  And I have my doubts about tipping it in the garden too.  This is worth readinghttps://resource.co/article/oil-s-well-ends-well-how-dispose-cooking-oil

Alastair Banton ● 2081d

Compost it - small amount at a time, or leave the bottle in the food recycling bucket.

Russell Pearson ● 2081d

You could make soap out of it if you are happy to handle caustic soda (sodium hydroxide). There are recipes online.

Michael David Rowe ● 2081d

I too would look at alternatives if you have chosen not to use it for food use.  (I think I'd use it if tastes OK or find another use - there have been campaigns to get rid of Best Before dates because they encourage unnecessary waste.)Here is a great page from West London Waste - our Waste Dispoal Authority: https://westlondonwaste.gov.uk/reuse-guide/cooking-oil-2/

Philippa Bond ● 2081d

I was aware that used cooking oils should never be poured down drains because of the fat berg issue but does unused olive oil congeal?

Steve Taylor ● 2081d

Mix it with essential oils and use in bath water. Use on skin as moisturiser again add fragranced oils. Can be used as makeup remover. In small amounts can be added to compost also. Also use a few drops when rinsing hair as suggested.

Alina Dansord ● 2080d

Steve, put a little olive oil in a jar and leave it in your fridge for a day or so.Much of it will set.It is a similar temperature if not colder in your drains at this time of year.Olive oil works as a moisturiser as well, use sparingly.

Keith Iddon ● 2080d

An Anglo-Greek friend takes a dessert spoon of olive oil every morning.He swears by it but there again he is a twenty fags a day man!

Adrian Irving ● 2080d

In case nobody's yet mentioned...Olive oil tastes delicious and is very good for us.  Especially extra virgin,  such as the wonderful Kolymvari Gold (discovered 10 years ago after a tip on this forum).  It's rich in good cholesterol (see all Mediterranean diets)Butter also tastes delicious but is generally very bad for us and only OK for an ultra fit few.  But even then it can be dangerous.  It's packed with the sort of cholesterol that's good at blocking arteries.Best advice is to buy good olive oil - and use it.

Stuart Kerr ● 2080d

Allegedly (I read it somewhere but can’t remember where) the best Olive Oil is produced in Palestine. I recall it is quite expensive though and only available at ‘specialist’ shops. I seem to remember there is a shop in Shepherds Bush which had it. Does anyone have and advice on this?

Steve Taylor ● 2080d

Bertollli do a light Mediterranean olive oil spread and they do one with butter and olive oil.

Janice Evans ● 2080d

Think available on Amazon Steve.

Janice Evans ● 2080d

Ah yes thanks. And I just found this so it seems they may have it at Sainsbury’s too so I might give it a try to see what the fuss is all about. https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/fairtrade-organic-palestinian-evoo-500ml?catalogId=10241&productId=48338&storeId=10151&langId=44&krypto=vrquXMWVXXrhi8igV4ow9v4JjTOYV4y%2FDwXq4NiJ70Csuegurw3J1oLrNxfZqeY0m6cenb59ak974yuSo6O0igboyW7WW9loys5NCV1iQKaWafpUOBWwKrTbcuichOD%2B99TIavQbQ7yh2DX9Qe4uejM0IiCjWHyKvsXuI8tIfeYrMF5vi4rupVEf332q5xrV0di%2Bkdc38NfiswYmE8GL%2Bw%3D%3D&ddkey=https%3Agb%2Fgroceries%2Ffairtrade-organic-palestinian-evoo-500ml

Steve Taylor ● 2080d

Interestingly in the Vale of the White Horse in Oxford you can recycle your used cooking oil in a plastic bottle of no more than one litre - and no other container - in your food waste bin but we don't have that here - maybe we should ask?I used to take a bottle or two of oil collected from being  poured off tinned tuna and sun dried tomatoes etc to the Stirling Road HWRC and pour into into the large collection tank that they have there.  I don't think I can face making an appointment just to do that."Businesses are legally required to dispose of used cooking oil appropriately, and can face significant fines for not complying with disposal regulations."We used to have an award winning cooking oil collection company in West London.  I believe we also had one of the first free business collections of cooking oil in West London.  It can be turned into bio-fuel.

Philippa Bond ● 2080d

I couldn't leave this thread without recalling that when I was a child the only olive oil you could get was in small bottles from the chemist, which was poured in your ear to dissolve earwax!How things have changed.......

David Halliday ● 2080d

Yes, we always had warmed olive oil poured into ears but they don't seem to suggest that any more.  It was also used for helping to remove stretch marks on skin, as well as on hair as Janice suggested.I am reminded of a French friend who when visiting Tunisia went to the village shop and bought a bottle of olive oil only to discover when her host returned home that she had bought the whole village's supply.  It was the custom to take a small bottle to the store to buy a small amount from the big bottle.

Philippa Bond ● 2080d

The olive oil that you can still get from the chemist (for your ears) is apparently not edible?

Steve Taylor ● 2080d

Any remaining olive oil is also very useful for enriching timber chopping boards or trays. I use the remains in the bottle for this.

Katrina Black ● 2080d

Well, what an interesting lot of suggestions! I won't be using it on my hair, on my face, in my ears, (or any other orifice, for that matter!) or on my body. It definitely won't be going down any drains or plug holes. I like Katrina's suggestion of using it to enrich wooden chopping boards, which I shall doI've bought today in Sainsbury's some Carapelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil reduced from £6.50 to £4.50. Never tried it before, but it's got very good reviews. It's in a very nice-looking glass bottle and I will ensure that this time I store it correctly in a cool place. The oil I want to ditch is in a plastic bottle, which I wouldn't buy again.

Jill Merrett ● 2079d

I was thinking about this last night as I roasted butternut squash and red peppers in olive oil to go on a bed of lentils with grilled halloumi on top - yum and realised how much better it is roasted in olive oil.  I also realised that some olive oil is in dark glass bottles which of course helps with the "Store closed in a cool dark place away from heat source and direct light" instruction of where to keep it.

Philippa Bond ● 2079d