When you think about grease recycling for your restaurant, used cooking oil from the fryer comes to mind. But there are probably more kinds of fats, oils, and grease (FOG) that can be recycled from your restaurant kitchen. Recycling keeps fats and oils out of restaurant drainpipes and local sewer systems. It also reduces the carbon footprint of your business.
SeQuential offers nationwide recycling for used cooking oil and other types of FOG. Here, we discuss some of the types of FOG you may not think about when cleaning but are integral to maintaining a clean kitchen space.
What to Do with Used Cooking Oil
Most cities and counties require restaurants to safely dispose of grease. It’s considered an environmental hazard, and regulations exist to keep it away from public water and waste treatment systems. In addition, as grease ages, it becomes more odorous. If it gets so bad, these unappetizing smells could keep customers from visiting your restaurant.
The best way to recycle used cooking oil is to utilize third-party services, such as those offered by SeQuential. We make it easy to gather all the FOG in locked containers, which are provided free of charge and usually stored outside the restaurant. Regular pickups are scheduled for emptying the containers so that restaurant staffs always have room for more grease recycling. We provide customer resources for understanding the proper disposal of these hazardous wastes.
Collect All Fats and Oils for Grease Recycling
The National Restaurant Association encourages the collection of all types of FOG found in the restaurant kitchen. Best practices include collecting and recycling the following:
- Meat fats and lard
- Sauces and batters
- Dairy products
- Dressings
- Food scraps and griddle scrapings
- Frostings, icings, and glazes
- Butter, margarine, and shortening
- Grease from cooking and ventilation hoods
There are several methods used to keep these different types of grease out of the kitchen, including:
- Scrape food scraps: Get extra grease off plates and place either in the garbage or food recycling system, if available
- Absorb extra grease: Sop up sauces and dressings with paper or cloth
- Use drain screens: Keep grease and particles out of pipes, and keep screens clean
- Clean ventilation systems: Add cleaning water to the cooking oil collection, and don’t forget rooftop grease pans
- Pour used cooking oil: Use safe, locked containers provided by your third-party collection service
Grease Trap Cleaning
The grease trap should be a central focus when it comes to cleanliness, hygiene, and proper food prep in any restaurant. Third-party services can take away the messy task of maintaining and cleaning the grease trap from the restaurant staff. These grease trap services can reduce potential problems related to FOG in your restaurant kitchen by providing hassle-free maintenance that will help to avoid blockages and unwanted smells.
At SeQuential, our experts keep your grease traps in good shape with regularly scheduled visits for pumping and inspecting. The FOG is removed for recycling.
What We Do with Used Fats, Oils, and Grease
Since 2008, SeQuential has been collecting used cooking oil and other greases for recycling from retail food establishments and commercial kitchens throughout the United States. After collection, we transport these fats to centrally located depots. Our parent company, Neste, refines these materials to create renewable diesel, which is a cleaner-burning alternative to petroleum diesel.
Through this process of recycling used cooking oil and other lesser-known FOG, restaurant owners prevent potentially dangerous elements from polluting local water and sewage systems. By choosing to be part of this eco-friendly system, restaurants can reduce their carbon footprint. Restaurants often find support among customers and staff when promoting and participating in environmentally sustainable practices, such as grease recycling.
Safely Recycle Fats, Oils, and Grease with SeQuential
What could be better than getting messy grease taken away from your restaurant kitchen to become a useful product? By working with SeQuential to collect and pick up FOG from food service kitchens, restaurant owners and other managers help create eco-friendly renewable diesel.
Based on the West Coast, SeQuential collects used cooking grease from commercial kitchens and retail food establishments throughout the nation. Our friendly and well-trained staff will pump out and clean the grease trap, recycle grease from cooking, and work according to your schedule. Contact us today to learn more or sign up for used cooking oil recycling service.