Home Publisher's Point of View Think of Your Used Fryer Oil as a Resource–Not ‘Waste’

Think of Your Used Fryer Oil as a Resource–Not ‘Waste’

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What to do with used vegetable oil is not at the top of my worry list. I don’t fry much of anything—probably for good health reasons. What I have in my home amounts to a small container in the refrigerator—leftovers from some beignet making (thank you New Orleans). Most food service establishments, however, have to deal with large volumes of used fryer oil. In writing an article on fryer oil recycling this past week, I learned a little bit about all of the different ways inns, hotels and resorts are handling their vegetable oil “waste.” If you are still paying someone to take your used oil away, you may want to reconsider. Of course it depends on where you are located, but used vegetable oil is valuable enough that companies should be paying you—even if it is just from 5 cents to 50 cents a gallon—to take it away. You may have noticed that the price of gasoline has risen about a dollar a gallon since its low several months ago. As goes the value of gasoline, so too goes the value of your used fryer oil.

Perhaps you are like Steve Sandstrom, co-owner of the Pinehurst Inn in Bayfield, Wis. He was curious enough about the potential of used vegetable oil that he purchased a processor to convert it into biodiesel. Now his family’s autos run on the fuel. Or maybe you are like those who run the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, who are fortunate enough to have some locals stop by to pick it up for their own vehicles. Perhaps you manage a property like the Seaport Hotel in Boston, where used oil is picked up and processed by an outside company and then brought back for reuse as biodiesel.

Biodiesel has gotten some bad publicity in the last couple of years and for good reason. The growing of crops for the purpose of making biofuels has had some unforeseen negative environmental and social consequences. Food riots in Third World countries come to mind. But creating biodiesel from used vegetable oil? That is a great idea, especially if it is done on-site or locally.

What I found most exciting when researching fryer oil recycling is the emergence of companies that are offering cogeneration (combined heat and power) systems that generate electricity and excess heat from the burning of used vegetable oil. These are great solutions for larger facilities or for locations where multiple hotels can collaborate on oil recycling. Be sure to read my article this week to learn more about cogeneration and fryer oil. Here’s hoping you never think the same again about your used vegetable oil.

Why am I getting hungry all of a sudden?

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