Fresholi | Melting Pot Café

If I use loads of hot water plus detergent I can get rid of all the oil.

But this defeats some of the recycling aspect.

What do you do?

Please do not laugh at me Aunty Elaine. Have you tried the wood based cat litter in the container, just pour some in shake it al around till its absorbed most of the oil.
You can decant the litter intoa bag and if you havea log fire or wood burner use it to bank the fire(carefully of course but to be honest it wont be super oily)

That's a thought ('cos we have an open fire).

Mine go in the regular rubbish, I tried to wash em out and failed. I don't have a cat, so can't do that. Wonder if they need to be really clean?

Would dry cornflour work I wonder?  I know it is used on fabrics sometimes to help remove oil stains.

Otherwise, D-limonene is a grease cutter.  I found some on e-bay - not cheap as chips but I think if one devises a detergent (still got to figure that one out)...it would do the job and go a long way.   It's 'green stuff' which I like as that kind of works for me when I am recycling!  They sell it in the smallest size of 1 liter and I ordered some yesterday. Should arrive next week postal strikes permitting. When it does I will report back if you like EJ.   :)

Would be appreciated SJ.

With smaller drums, I just use regular detergent - not much else you can do really  :-\

The very large drums go with an oil drum disposal service where they are recycled.

You could slice them in half EJ and that would make them easier to clean inside.

Good idea H, never thought of that one!

OK - 'cept for the OO 5ltr tins.

Tins are not so easy (can opener?  :mwaha:)  but certainly the plastic ones are easy enough.

I am a bit like EJ, I use washing up liquid though, and just rinse for a couple of times, on the recyling bank it just says rinsed, same for tins, so I don't sweat about this too much.

i suppose i have been naughty then, i leave them out and it gets collected. I have never been told to clean them out first. but i like michelle's and H's ideas.

I wonder how much water gets wasted every day in the UK rinsing out cans and bottles for the recycling box. Is that really worth it ? And is that actually ecologically friendly ?

I am sure it would be far more efficient to clean the lot of them in a large factory which can recycle the water ?

[sorry, doesn't help with your oil cans though ]

Good point MP