Waste Guide

Frying fat & cooking oil

Bin: Yellow drum with screw cap

Becomes biofuel — never down the drain.

Used frying fat and cooking oil are a valuable feedstock for biofuel. Down the drain they cause fatbergs and blockages; in residual waste they are simply lost.

This belongs in it

  • Used frying fat, liquid or solid
  • Cooking oil and salad oil
  • Fat and oil from the pan — cooled down
  • Leftover oil from jars and tins

This does not belong in it

  • Engine and machine oil (hazardous waste)
  • Water with fat from the grease trap
  • Packaging — that goes in PMD
  • Food scraps in the drum

What happens to it?

  1. 1. Cooled into the drum

    Let the fat cool and pour it into the yellow collection drum with a screw cap.

  2. 2. Collection

    The full drum is collected and swapped for an empty one.

  3. 3. Cleaning

    At the processor the fat is heated, stripped of water and food residue, and filtered.

  4. 4. Biofuel

    The purified fat is converted into biodiesel or renewable diesel.

Where is it processed?

Processed by an approved collector and refinery of used vegetable oils and fats.

This is what it becomes

  • Biodiesel and renewable diesel (HVO)
  • Feedstock for the chemical industry

Good to know

±60%of used frying fat in the Netherlands is handed in for recyclingFrituurvet Recycle Het
miljoeneneuros a year it costs the water authorities to remove fat from sewageUnie van Waterschappen
biodieselmost of the collected fat is processed into biodieselMilieu Service Nederland

Rules and legislation

Frying fat does not belong in the sewer or in residual waste. It is collected by an approved collector and processed into biofuel; collection is usually free of charge because the fat has value.

Sources

The figures and rules on this page were checked against the following sources.

Checked on 18 August 2026

Other waste streams

Paper & cardboard Blue container Confidential paper Locked security container PMD — plastic, cans & drink cartons Orange container Coffee cups Cup collection point (if available) Coffee grounds Bucket next to the coffee machine Organic waste & swill Green container Glass Yellow glass container Metal Metal container or skip

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