25 litre sealed drum
Built for cafes and single-fryer kitchens. Light enough for one person, fits under a counter, and we pay per litre on it exactly as we would on a wheelie bin.
Cafes, single-fryer kitchens, community kitchens, mobile traders
Cooking oil drums and containers
Four sizes, all supplied free, all swapped for clean empties at every visit. Here is what each one weighs when it is full, how much space it needs and which kitchen it is built for.
| Size | Footprint | Weight full | Who lifts it | Fryer changes held | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25L 25 litre sealed drum | About 30 x 30 x 45 cm | Around 25 kg | One person | One to two fryer changes | Cafes, single-fryer kitchens, community kitchens, mobile traders |
| 60L 60 litre drum | About 40 x 40 x 60 cm | Around 60 kg | Two people, or we swap it | Three to four fryer changes | Takeaways, restaurants, pubs, delivery-only kitchens |
| 240L 240 litre wheelie bin | About 58 x 74 x 107 cm | Around 235 kg | Nobody. It is wheeled | Twelve to fifteen fryer changes | Fish and chip shops, high-volume fryers, busy pub kitchens |
| IBC IBC, up to 1,000 litres | About 120 x 100 x 116 cm | Around 950 kg | Pumped, never lifted | Fifty-plus fryer changes | Production kitchens, food producers, central catering units |
Dimensions are approximate and vary a little between manufacturers. Filled weights assume used vegetable oil at roughly 0.92 kg per litre plus the container itself, rounded, because the useful question is whether one person can move it rather than the exact figure. A "fryer change" here means a single-basket commercial fryer holding about 18 litres.
Each size
Which one you actually want
60 litre drum
The size most kitchens settle on. Around 55kg when full, so it is a two-person lift, which is why we fill to the shoulder rather than the neck and swap rather than decant. Suits a kitchen running one or two fryers through a normal week.
Takeaways, restaurants, pubs, delivery-only kitchens
240 litre wheelie bin
Wheeled, so nobody has to lift anything. Built for chip shops and high-volume fryers where a drum would be full by midweek. It rolls out to the van on collection day and a clean empty rolls back in.
Fish and chip shops, high-volume fryers, busy pub kitchens
IBC, up to 1,000 litres
For food producers and central kitchens generating oil at industrial volume. Supplied on request once we have seen your site, since an IBC needs a level standing area and clear access for the pump.
Production kitchens, food producers, central catering units
How often
Matching size to frequency
The right answer is usually the container that fills up in about the time between collections. Too big and it stands part-full for weeks; too small and someone is stacking spares in a corridor.
- Under 20 litres a week Usually fortnightly works well
- 20 to 50 litres a week Usually weekly works well
- 50 to 100 litres a week Weekly, with extra pickups whenever you need them
- Over 100 litres a week Whatever schedule suits you, with larger containers
You are not locked into any of it. Frequency and container size can change whenever your trade does, and there is no charge either way.
Work it out
What size drum do you need?
Two questions and you will know roughly what we would bring and how often we would come. Nothing is sent anywhere, this runs entirely in your browser.
Roughly what you would produce
36 litres a week
We would bring 60 litre drum
Collected Weekly
An estimate to start the conversation, not a quote. We size it properly on the first visit and change it free of charge whenever your trade changes.
Handling
Five rules that keep it safe and keep it worth something
- 1
Fill to the shoulder, not the brim
The moulded shoulder is where the drum stops widening. Fill past it and the lid will not seat properly, which is how oil ends up on a floor that someone then has to walk across. It also makes the drum unstable in the back of a van.
- 2
Let it cool first, always
Hot oil warps a plastic drum and it is the single most common cause of a burn in a commercial kitchen. Overnight is ideal. If you have to move it sooner, it needs to be cool enough to hold your hand against the pan.
- 3
Keep water out
Water is the one contaminant that changes what a load is worth, because it has to be separated out before the oil can be processed. Do not tip washing-up water, ice or condensation into the drum, and keep the lid on between changes.
- 4
Store on a hard surface away from drains
A sealed drum on level, solid ground, away from any gully or surface water drain, and out of a walkway. This is a duty of care point as much as a housekeeping one: if it leaks into a drain, that is a separate offence under the Water Industry Act 1991.
- 5
One size does not have to fit the whole kitchen
Plenty of kitchens run a 60 litre drum by the fryer and a 25 litre one by the grill or the pass. There is no charge for extra containers and no reason to carry oil further across a kitchen than you have to.
There is a printable version of this for the kitchen wall in our fats, oils and grease poster, and more on safe storage in storing used cooking oil safely .
Not sure which size fits your kitchen?
Tell us how many fryers you run and roughly how often you change them, and we will bring what fits on the first visit. If we get it wrong we swap it, at no charge, as many times as it takes. Containers are free in every size and every quantity, and you can change your mind later.
Book Your Free Collection
Tell us where you are and we'll set up your collection day. No cost, no obligation, and we typically call you back within minutes.
Prefer to talk? Call or WhatsApp us on 07716 378590 and we'll sort it out in a couple of minutes.