Do you have any Olio?

Tonight we shall discuss that which shall hereafter be referred to as "Planning ahead"....
Planning ahead happens when we think about that which is it that we are doing, and what the necessary steps are to make it a successful effort.

When embarking on endeavors requiring at least 35 lbs of cooking oil, you have to take pause and wonder what is going to happen to the oil after it heats your meat treat to cripsy, juicy perfection. And thus began the search for a facility that will ever so graciously accept the boiled oil as well as the sludge removed from my roommate's bicycle which is now festering in a black liquid stew in a cottage cheese container in the laundry room and an assortment of dead batteries which live in a drawer and cause confusion.

A search using terms such as "oil disposal" indicated that it is a "Hazardous Waste Management Facility" that we shall be in search of, and a search for "berkeley hazardous waste" led me to the Alameda County Services Hazardous Waste Management hotline. Curious parties may call any time of the day to listen to a less than inspired recording at (800) 606-6606. Apparently in Alameda County there are three such facilities that will accept "grease/cooking oil" along with the other detritous. Each facility is convienently only open for three days each month from the incredibly useful hours of 9AM to 1PM. Our local facility would be known as the "Oakland Facility." Sadly, our oil will not have been prepared for disposal in time for the bygone November dates of 10-12. Fortunately, December's hours on the 8-10 are just around the corner, also known as just enough time to see what exactly happens to used peanut oil over a three week period or to forget about the whole thing and resell the oil to a local chinese joint.