Rises in fuel prices have led to an increase in the number of used fryer grease rustlers roaming restaurant alleys in the United States.
Grease thefts have spiked whenever fuel prices climbed during the last four years and this past spring was no different, according to Tom Cook, president of the National Renderers Association.
"It's on the rise and it's because of higher oil prices," Cook told Reuters in a telephone interview. "I have one member who told me it's costing his business $1 million a year."
Recyclers typically contract with restaurants to pick up the waste product. The grease is cleaned and sold for use as biofuel, livestock feed and other products.
An Omaha recycler has filed theft reports with police in Omaha and Lincoln in Nebraska, and Sioux City, Iowa. Thieves recently stole about 4,200 pounds (1,909 kgs) of used grease from six Lincoln fast-food restaurants.
Processed fryer oil is not trash. It is called yellow grease and is traded. Its value is driven by higher prices of gas and ethanol.
Recyclers and collectors pay restaurants about 18 cents a pound for grease. After further processing, it can be sold for 42 to 45 cents a pound, said Cook, who is based in Alexandria, Virginia.
Yellow grease was trading for less than 8 cents a pound in 2000.
Cook said he plans to conduct an industrywide survey to determine the extent of the losses. Many restaurant owners don't realize what they are losing and local law enforcement agencies have other crime-fighting priorities, he said.
One way to curb demand for stolen grease is to alert potential buyers, especially in the feed industry, to only buy from known sources to ensure the product they receive is free of impurities and moisture, Cook said.
"The price (of yellow grease) is real good right now," he said, "and those who steal it are really getting a good deal because they're not paying for it."
With the price of gas rising, falling, and rising again, it's no wonder thieves are trying to capitalize any way they can. There's a black market for everything and I guess "yellow grease" is no exception.
At one time, airbags were being stolen from cars because apparently there was some kind of black market for it. I've had my car battery stolen by, I'm assuming, some homeless person, because used car batteries could be traded for cash at a nearby auto store. I had to get my car lock repaired and eventually a car alarm system installed just because of that. Luckily, only the battery was taken. The stereo and other valuables were left untouched, so I guess that makes them pretty selective thieves.
I had never before considered the number of products that can be made from used cooking grease or how valuable it is in the commodity trading market. It boggles my mind that 42 cents a pound here and 45 cents a pound there would eventually add up to about $1 million a year. That's a lot of French fry grease!
And when you consider the amount of money that can be made from used grease, that is motive enough for someone to swipe over 4,000 pounds of it, especially when it is mostly profit.
It would never have crossed my mind that something as odd as the used grease trade would ever need to be regulated. But if restaurants are being robbed of potential profits, they probably need to call the Grease Police (or maybe just use a strategically-placed security camera)!
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