Freeze, Grease Thief!

"Florida has become a hotbed for grease theft," said Chris Griffin, who is in charge of legal affairs for Griffin Industries, one of the country's leading collectors of restaurant grease.

Restaurants — from the fanciest French bistro to the funkiest fast-food joint — save up their grease in big drums usually found in the back of their parking lot. Trucks from Griffin, a Kentucky-based company that operates in 21 states, and other reputable collectors come by regularly to collect it.

But lately the Griffin drivers are finding that thieves have gotten there first, draining the drums of their liquid gold.

Restaurant grease can be turned into biodiesel fuel, which produces far less air pollution than regular diesel. It has slowly gained in popularity as an alternative fuel for powering trucks, farm equipment, boats, anything with a diesel engine. Pinellas County's dump trucks burn biodiesel, as do fire trucks on Sanibel Island and military vehicles at Eglin Air Force Base in the Panhandle.

"We're now dealing with four or five reports of theft a day" from across several states, Griffin said. In Florida, the thefts have occurred in St. Petersburg, Tampa, Orlando and Miami, he said. He declined to provide specifics of any cases.

Usually the thieves slip in at night and simply swipe the stuff, Griffin said. But a bolder few show up in the daytime and, if spotted, claim they're a subcontractor hired by Griffin to haul away the goods.

However, he said, "many restaurants are in tune with what's happening," and they know the real Griffin drivers wear uniforms and show up in marked trucks. Lately, Griffin has begun putting 18-inch-by-18-inch stickers with its logo on the grease drums to make it clear who owns the contents.