Post Thanksgiving Oil Recycling

How many fry their turkeys for Thanksgiving?

I'm still pretty amazed that fad is hanging on.

However, it is, so we have to figure out what to DO with all of that peanut oil that people just don't think can be used more than once.

Sad, but true.

Do you pour it down your drain, into your garbage bags, on someone else's land? Or do you save it in cans and jugs, hoping one day to get rid of it the right way?

Some towns are setting up locations for people to take all of their "dead" cooking oils.

Denver is one such town.

Post your oil on Craigs List

A biodiesel forum to offer your oils

You could even post on your local freecycle page

The main thing is, if you're not going to reuse that oil or cooking grease, don't just throw it in the landfill or down the drain. Give it another life - so to speak. It can be used to all of our benefit in the engine of someone's car or truck.

Editorial Letter Vegetable Oil for Fuel

This is a year old, but still incredibly relevant. 168 words - before our paper went to a 150 word max format...

The biggest headache for every municipality in the country is the budget line item “Fuel”. Prices just keep going up and are forecast to continue until at least 2012.

So why are we still using straight diesel? Bio-diesel is now feasible and will become more economical in the near future. Straight vegetable oil has been FREE since fast food was created.

Local restaurants generally must pay to have it hauled to either the landfill or to another processing plant while all town vehicles running on diesel idle at the red light just across the street.

Conversion kits for diesel engines to burn straight vegetable oil (SVO) would pay for themselves in fewer than 12 months at last year’s prices. What about this year’s? SVO has the same mileage as diesel and better emissions.

Europe has been using this “technology” for over a decade and Canada has for more than 5 years.

Why aren’t we? Call your highway department and ask them. Keep asking them. It’s your money.

Sincerely,