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Demand For Used Cooking Oil Provides Monetary Reward

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: December 3, 2008

TRINITY - Who knew that recycling could be such a greasy topic? Matt Connor for one.

Connor, the owner and operator of the Beef O'Brady's Family Sports Pub franchise in Trinity, says recycling isn't just a trendy thing to do, it has become increasingly profitable.

Restaurants must follow strict rules about disposing of leftover cooking oil, for instance.

When crude oil and gasoline prices soared this past summer, the interest in biodiesel alternative fuels from spent cooking oil also soared, Connor said.

Connor contracted with a company to take some 40 to 45 gallons of used cooking oil each week from the restaurant at 3216 Little Road.

"They started paying a lot more money for it" because of demand, Connor said.

Recyclers used to pay about $10 a month to the restaurant, but recently they have been paying up to $100 a month for about the same amount of cooking oil.

The Tampa location of Griffin Industries, based in Cold Spring, Ky., then takes the cooking oil and distills it into a blend of biodiesel fuel.

Reuse of cooking oils will only make the job of Pasco County officials easier.

Restaurants are governed under the FOG - Fat, Oil & Grease - Program, according to Farouk M. El-Shamy, the environmental manager for Pasco County Utilities Services.

FOG's main goal is minimizing the amount of fat that goes down the drain at restaurants. The fat could build up in sewer lines and cause overflows.

A county ordinance requires food servers to install a grease trap at small businesses like a sandwich shop.

Restaurants must have a larger device, a grease interceptor.

About 700 firms in the county fall under the regulations, with two full-time inspectors making sure the grease traps or interceptors are maintained.

County officials hand out a lot of educational materials as well, El-Shamy said.

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