Richland County is now accepting used cooking oil, offering a residents an easy solution to discarding of fat, oil and grease – also known as FOG.

Cooking oil is accepted at the Lower Richland Drop-off Site, the C&D Landfill and the Clemson Road site. Residents should transport oil in suitable containers and pour it into 50-gallon drums at these locations.

Officials in the county’s Solid Waste and Recycling Division urge homeowners to refrain from pouring FOG down the drains of their homes. It may appear harmless, but it can stick to sewer pipes and build up over time. In addition, other things washed down the drain or garbage disposal, such as coffee grounds, hair and food particles, get caught up in FOG leading to bigger, more troublesome clogs.

FOG should not be put into recycling bins for home pickup. However, it can be frozen or refrigerated until it solidifies and then scraped into the regular trash. Also, avoid pouring used oil outside onto the ground where it can make its way to storm drains, and eventually waterways. The easiest and most environmentally friendly solution to ridding your home of FOG is to bring it to a county collection site.

The Richland County C&D Landfill is located at 1070 Caughman Road North in Columbia. The Lower Richland Drop-off Site is located at 10531 Garners Ferry Road in Eastover. The Clemson Recycle Center, at 900 Clemson Road in the Northeast, will accept oil from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information about properly disposing of cooking oil in Richland County, call 929-6000.