How to dispose of expired olive oil tends to be a daunting task for most people.
It gets us thinking of the best way to discard expired olive oil.
It could be hard to design a disposal method when you have never found yourself with expired olive oil before.
Luckily, this article shows you how to dispose of expired olive oil.
Dispose of expired olive oil by sealing it off in an unbreakable container then dump it in the trash. Or contact expired oils collectors for recycling.
How Long Does It Take For Olive Oil To Expire?
Now, before we even get to how you should be disposing of your expired olive oil, there are a few things to talk about here, quite vital.
To start with, you need to know how long it takes for olive oil to expire.
Unlike most other pantry items and ingredients, olive oils and other types of cooking oils take a bit longer before they expire.
From the date and time they are bottled and released for sale, most olive oils shall live up to 2 to 3 years before they are deemed expired.
This period is shorter for the extra virgin olive oil, associated with quality, which takes between a year and two to expiry.
These years are just a standard time for all oils and olive oils. To best tell the best by date of your olive oils, check their containers.
The dates are occasionally placed at the bottom or on the sides.
Tip: Once most olive oils are opened, they will expire after 12 to 18 months.
How Do You Tell That Olive Oil Is Expired?
Of course, if you want to dispose of expired olive oil, how did you tell that it is expired?
It is almost difficult to tell when cooking oils have gone stale.
However, in this article, we have a couple of sure ways that flag you when olive has expired.
Remember, olive oil might have expired, been used, or unused.
Although the unused take longer to expire compared to already opened and previous ones, they still hit the expiry date.
And so, here are the ways to tell that your olive oil is in good shape no more.
Check the Expiry Date
This method is more common sense, all you need to do is check whether it is on or beyond its expiry date.
Expiry dates vary from one type of olive oil to the other.
It takes between a year and three for the various types of oils to expire.
The expiry dates are mostly indicated below the container or on the paper with the ingredients and instructions for use.
Taste the Olive Oil
Olive oil tends to have a mild and almost non-existent flavor.
Checking on its taste is one way to confirm whether the cooking oil has gone stale.
If expired, there may occur a different taste, either salty, bitter, or sugary.
Your intuition is able to detect a change in taste, a signal that it has gone bad.
Tip: There are no risks associated with tasting olive oil to confirm whether it is expired.
Lookout for a Color Change
Olive oils can either be golden yellow, brown or dark green.
However, when olive oil expires, this color changes rapidly to a dark color, when it does then it is necessary that you do not use it for cooking or deep frying but rather dispose of it.
Change in Smell
Fresh cooking olive oils have a fruity smell, while those that have gone bad release a pungent peanut-like smell.
Steps To Follow Before Disposing Of Expired Olive oil
Before disposing of expired olive oil, there are steps to follow.
To ensure that it has been safely disposed of, below are a few steps to follow.
Freeze the Oil into a solid
While deposited as a liquid, there are very high chances that the oil might leak.
When they do, they become hazardous to the environment.
Therefore, once you figure out that your olive is expired and should be disposed of, cool it off, or freeze it into a solid in the freezer.
Place it in a Container
Once the olive oil has cooled into a solid, transfer it into a container, a metallic or plastic one.
Then seal it off completely. Once it is sealed, dispose of it via your preferred method.
How To Dispose Of Expired Olive Oil
The above four ways are the prettiest for telling when and if your olive oil has expired, so then, now that you just noticed that your olive oil just expired.
How do you plan to dispose of it? Is this eating you up?
Fret not, for we will show you how to do the disposal for good and safely.
This is how.
Trash it
If you have got trash in your home, then you have the first way of disposing of your expired olive oil.
As long as it involves disposing of expired olive oils in smaller quantities, then the trash is the best bet.
However, you do not just do it blindly but instead make sure that you have the oil well sealed in an unbreakable container.
The reason why these containers must not let the oils leak is because of environmental reasons.
When the olive oils leak, they negatively affect the environment within their spill.
Tip: Completely seal the expired oil in a non-breakable container while trashing expired olive oil
Take The Olive Oils For Recycling
Recycling olive oils that are expired is another pretty way of disposing of them.
For food service establishments that deal with big oil quantities, then they should be in contact with expired and used oil recyclers.
These companies are contacted to pick up the expired or remains of any oils including olive oils.
Finding olive oil recyclers near you shouldn’t be something disturbing, rather it is so easy, look up online for any oil recyclers near you or ask around from friends.
Trashing and taking the expired olive oils for recycling are two of the most appropriate ways for disposing of expired olive oil.
While trashing is preferable for olive oils in smaller quantities, dumping them with oil recyclers is effective for large-scale establishments with plenty of expired olive oil.
Use it for Compost
Other than recycling or trashing expired olive oil, did you know that you could use it for your compost?
To do so, mix it with tree branches and twigs, vegetable and fruit scraps, and other compost components.
Tip: Too much olive oil might affect the compost organic processes.
Can Expired Olive Oil Be Poured Down the Sink?
You might be easily tempted to pour expired olive oil down the sink. Say no to this temptation.
Unlike water, olive oil, especially when it has expired, is quite porous and might not go down through the sink as it is needed.
If you do, with time you will notice your sewage line blocking since olive oils react with water over time to become a solid that blocks the sewage way.
Tip: Olive oil or any other cooking oils should not be poured down the toilet.
Conclusion
How to dispose of expired olive oil might look like a thing of the past, but it is not.
Once or twice, you will find yourself with expired olive cooking oil because of a reason or two.
Perhaps you were away from your home. And when you return you find yourself asking for ways how to dispose of unused expired olive oil.
When it comes to expired olive oil, do not pour it down the sink.
This article has shown you ways of disposing of expired olive oil. Which one works best for you?