If you’re planning to fry your Thanksgiving turkey this year, Catawba County Utilities & Engineering is advising residents to recycle cooking oil through the department’s recycling program instead of pouring it down the drain.

Available year-round, the program recycles used residential cooking oil and grease into clean-burning, locally-made biodiesel fuel. Ariel Kanupp, Catawba County’s recycling coordinator says that cooking oil should never be poured down the drain, as it solidifies in the pipes and can cause major clogs and issues in your home and within local sewer systems.

To recycle used cooking oil, allow leftover oil to cool before pouring it into a jar with a lid. Take it to one of the Catawba County Solidwaste Convenience Centers or the City of Newton Public Works Department during operating hours and carefully pour it into the appropriate recycling bin.

The Solidwaste Convenience Center has the following locations; Blackburn, Bethany, Cooksville, and Oxford. The City of Newton Public Works is locted at 210 North Ash Avenue.

The County’s cooking oil recycling program is free of charge to Catawba County residents and is open to residents of Catawba County only. No business waste is accepted. For more information about the County’s cooking oil recycling program or recycling in general, call Catawba County Utilities & Engineering at 828-465-8217 or visit www.catawbacountync.gov.