San Francisco Will Make Biodiesel Out of Restaurant Oil

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San Francisco to Turn Restaurant Oil Into Biodiesel

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San Francisco is on a roll. In April, the city banned plastic shopping bags, banned bottled water in some restaurants, and banned Styrofoam takeout containers. In another progressive step, plans are now under way to turn the copious amounts of waste vegetable oil produced by the city's 2600 restaurants into biodiesel. The goal: offsetting 20% of the diesel fuel used by city buses.

Under a $1.3 million dollar program, the San Francisco Public
Utilities Commission (SFPUC) will turn a very large and problematic
waste product into a renewable fuel:

"Fats, oils and grease have been a significant problem for San Francisco’s sewers, SFPUC officials said. When not disposed of properly, the greasy waste can form thick layers inside the pipes. Sewage flow becomes constricted, which causes odors, attracts rats and leads to backups in The City’s sewer system, all of which create costly cleanup problems."

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