Restaurant Service Industry: Waste Fryer Oil Processing
Yellow Grease/Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) Collection
Any restaurant or food service company that uses a fryer will produce used oil. We need that waste oil to make biodiesel for our local buses! We will put a fryer oil collection container at your location. Then, as your exclusive collector, we will happily come and remove the waste oil on a regular basis. We can pay for the oil, or you can donate it for full value and we can buy gift cards to bring more customers and provide social media support to increase business.
Why Donate Your Oil?
Reduce your costs. Rather than you paying to have the oil removed or paying taxes on the income from haulers, donate your oil to The Forest Foundation, Inc.(TFF), a 501(3)c non-profit, and have the waste made into biofuel.
There's no cost to you. You may be able to deduct the value of the oil at market rates, if you move the used asset to one of your partnersm or use IRS Form 8283 for Non-cash Charitable Donations (up to $5K per year). The amount of your tax deduction depends not only by the amount of oil donated, but also by the quality of the oil. We will be happy to advise and help with this. TFF can provide a window sign and brochures detailing this project and your support of it;
Support local, community-based, sustainable decentralized energy production. This will help support TFFs work in promoting environmental education and sustainable livelihoods. The oil is purchased by Green Oil Company and then made into fuel. It is purchased back by Carolina Biodiesel to be distributed to the B100 Biodiesel Community Trail, and to Greenway Transit, to be used in local buses. Greenway's primary customers are schools, students and other non-profits in the community. In this way, this renewable biofuel made from waste is creating jobs and keeping money local, building community resiliency.
How to Sign Up?
Email or Call us
info@carolinabiofuels.org, 919-957-1500
We'll set up an appointment to talk about your needs, prepare a contract for you and pick up your oil from your container, and/or leave one of our collection containers. We will prepare a non-binding contract (some companies will bind you into unfavorable contracts that cost you and place you in legal jeopardy if you want to switch vendors). We don't.
What you need to do to make it all work?
By using higher quality oils, you can improve the taste of your foods and the health of your customers, while also providing a more-valuable oil for producing fuel.
Clean oil is critical. Please keep your oil free from: no utensils, cloth, gloves, food waste or water.
Call us if it full, don't overload.
Keep bins out of the rain if possible, and keep lids closed and make sure no water gets in the oil to reduce oxidation; don't burn or overuse oil, which means avoiding darkening the oil - this will also help the taste of your food. Clean the fryer and change the oil regularly; food waste can be sieved out and placed in compost bins.
Other Restaurant Services
Storm Water Protection and Maintaining Oil Quality
Oil collection containers and infrastructure. Communities are now requiring secondary containment and cover for waste oil containers to reduce impacts to storm water run off. This can also have the secondary benefit of improving the quality of the used oil by keeping rain out the the containers. Our containers can improve the aesthetic of your facility, while helping employ local construction labor. We work with several local, under-employed minority firms to maximize the social justice component of what we do. We can and will help you improve the management of your oil over time. Managing your oil is important; the quality of the oil -- both before and after a restaurant uses it -- affects the biodiesel conversion process (and will have an effect on the value to us, and the value of your tax deduction).
Trap Grease. Green Oil can also arrange to have your trap grease removed - please ask if you'd like more information about this. We work with local, minority-owned small businesses to help improve the social justice component of what we do. They can bid on the trap grease removal, based on the size of the trap, it's location and frequency of the pick up. Traps Grease is also a waste from which energy can be derived and waste composted to make soil, but it requires large-scale systems and is very smelly.
Hood and equipment cleaning. We work with local, small and minority-owned businesses we work that offer competitive and high quality services.
Energy and sustainability audits and Solar Thermal installations.
Our passion is sustainability and resiliency, and in most cases doing the environment right can also put money in your pocket. An energy and facility audit can help you save money in both the short and long run. Solar hot water systems make sense and can pay back in just a few years, and put money in your pocket, impressing your customers in your commitment to community and Planet. Our list of recommended vendors are local, just and competitive.
Paper, Cardboard, Glass and Aluminum.
We have several local commercial recyclers that offer some of the best service in the area. Restaurants are mandated by law to recycle and these contractors can offer you competitive pricing.
Food Waste/Organics.
Account for as much as 20% of local landfill space. Lower the cost and footprint of having your organics hauled off, by using our system to turn your waste into high quality soil, and reduce you tipping fees. Best use is to biodigest for biomethane, then compost the sludge. We at Green Oil and the other organizations associated with OCEIP have been promoting the development of a small neighborhood-scale biodigester project start in Durham, and now at our new site in Efland. They cost about $200K, can process 2 tons of wood waste per day, and produce electricity with a payback in10 years (www.thewastetransformers.com). Compost is a “side-stream” bonus and perfect for local, community and urban gardening. Ask us how we can make this happen in your neighborhood.
Local food networking.
The local food movement in the Triangle is growing fast and CSA' and options for hand-crafted foods are enormous. By increasing your procurement to these sources, you can improve the quality of your food, and help increase food resiliency and availability in the area. This will reap rewards from your customers, and improve food security as climate disruption unfolds. Cross-marketing, advertising and social media through our partner businesses, we can offer you not only connections and contacts but increased customer flow by purchasing Gift Cards and offering cross-marketing and advertising. Our biodiesel is used by many businesses in the community and Greenway Transit, a partner at the GOAL Site, shuttles thousands per month and offers advertising and cross-marketing in and on their buses. Other opportunities exist to cross-market on websites and at events. These help build relationships and community and have many side benefits.