Louisville Restaurants Forum

I have a diesel truck that I have converted to be a "green" vehicle burning used restaurant grease as fuel. The used grease burns 75% cleaner than diesel fuel and also solves the problem of disposing of the grease.

If any restauranteurs would like to give me their used oil, I would be glad to pick the grease up for free at your convenience. I can pick it up in the original containers or place a barrel on your site (although those sometimes get stolen). As long as the grease is not put in the grease renderer's barrel, it still belongs to the restaurant. If you would like to give your oil to someone who will recycle it, please contact me or reply to this post. I am not a big giant corporation or a grease reseller. I just collect small amounts so I can drive on vacation.

Thanks!

Kirk I hope I am wrong in this but I would say your a day late and a dollar short. good luck.

Okay, I'll bite- why is he "a day late and a dollar short?" Is someone paying for used restaurant grease at this point?

Deb

Deb Hall wrote:Okay, I'll bite- why is he "a day late and a dollar short?" Is someone paying for used restaurant grease at this point?

Deb

They have been for years. When I was working for Mc D's, we sold our old oil. I wonder if he meant they do not do it anymore. But if you drive behind almost any restaurant, you will see a large green or brown container. That is where the old oil is stored until taken away to make soap, cosmetics, etc.

Doogy,

Most of those places pay to have their oil removed- or at least they used to( my info is dated by a couple of years). You are not allowed to dispose of it down the drain nor in regular garbage, and there are services that remove it for a fee- kind f like paying for recycling pick-up at home.

Deb

yes there are people paying for used grease. years ago I had a customer that we just gave it to. It is being coming a highly sought after commodity thats all I was getting at with the day late dollar short.

Actually, the grease renderer's generally only pay for the oil if you are producing 35 gallons of used oil per week. Less than that the restaurants generally pay to have the grease removed. Some restaurants are in the middle and they get the grease dumpster placed in the back of the restaurant for free removal.

Many restaurants do not have a place to store a big grease dumpster. I collect from several restaurants in Louisville and Frankfort. I filter the oil, dewater it, and then drive my truck with it.

I assure you, I am not "a day late and a dollar short." There is LOTS of grease out there. Some restaurants do not like to give the oil to the big , corporate, industrial grease companies (who make it into cosmetics or biodiesel, BTW). They prefer to give it to the local grease guy, because they like the "green " factor.

I do not steal from grease dumpsters, I only take what is given to me. I do not make biodiesel, I drive on straight waste vegetable oil. I have driven 6000 miles on restaurant grease since August. I am just "Advancing confidently in the direction of my dreams and endeavouring to live the life which I have imagined and I hope to meet with unexpected success."

Well Congrats and keep on keeping on.

Kirk I just had a discussion with my editor who is converting his old Mercedes Benz into a grease burner. He said he had to collect oil from a restaurant that routinely used separate fryers for meat/protein and everything else. Also that local oriental, Chinese or Japanese restaurants were very good about donating.
Just out of curiosity, how do you de-water the grease?
(BTW, I think this method of conservation is fantastic!)

carla griffin wrote: my editor who is converting his old Mercedes Benz into a grease burner.

Stephen?

I'll bet he can get a great story about this, down the road ...

Yup, and I'm sure he has plans for some sort of story down the road.

KirkHarrod wrote:Actually, the grease renderer's generally only pay for the oil if you are producing 35 gallons of used oil per week. Less than that the restaurants generally pay to have the grease removed. Some restaurants are in the middle and they get the grease dumpster placed in the back of the restaurant for free removal.

Many restaurants do not have a place to store a big grease dumpster. I collect from several restaurants in Louisville and Frankfort. I filter the oil, dewater it, and then drive my truck with it.

I assure you, I am not "a day late and a dollar short." There is LOTS of grease out there. Some restaurants do not like to give the oil to the big , corporate, industrial grease companies (who make it into cosmetics or biodiesel, BTW). They prefer to give it to the local grease guy, because they like the "green " factor.

I do not steal from grease dumpsters, I only take what is given to me. I do not make biodiesel, I drive on straight waste vegetable oil. I have driven 6000 miles on restaurant grease since August. I am just "Advancing confidently in the direction of my dreams and endeavouring to live the life which I have imagined and I hope to meet with unexpected success."

Kirk...I'm no "gear-head" (and I don't play one on TV) but I do have a couple of family members and acquaintances who drive a truck for a living. They universally condemn "bio-diesel" (i.e. diesel fortified with fryer grease) in temps below 30 degrees. My understanding is that it wrecks havoc on the internal systems at such a cold temp. Truckers have gone so far as to ask states to reduce (or eliminate) diesel additives in the winter but make up for it by increasing the percentage of additives in the summer. So far the state says "no" and my understanding is that this is costing truckers thousands a year in maintenance and repairs.

Yes, Steve. It is very bad for engines! I recommend that no one do it!

carla griffin wrote:
Just out of curiosity, how do you de-water the grease?
(BTW, I think this method of conservation is fantastic!)

Dewatering the grease is done by heating the grease to 140 degrees and letting it cool slowly for about 2 weeks. Any water will sink to the bottom and can be drained off.

Joe Pennington wrote:Kirk I hope I am wrong in this but I would say your a day late and a dollar short. good luck.

Just read this on another forum:

"A guy in the rendering business has continually provided me with information about the rendering business here in Ohio.

Earlier this year, renderers were getting as high as 44 cents per pound for grease ( 7 1/2 pounds per gallon ), for there processed grease. Processed by a renderer is the grease is screened and dewatered.

As of this week, these same renderers are getting 7-9 cents per pound for processed grease. Due to the severe drop in prices, renderers here in Ohio are going to again start charging restaurants for collecting their grease. Earlier this year, some renderers were paying as much as 75 cents per gallon for grease from restaurants, a more common amount that was being paid was 20-30 cents per gallon. What does this mean to us ?"