Slick thieves fleece eateries of cooking oil to brew biofuel - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

#1 05-22-2008, 06:23 AM

I came across this interesting article in the Rocky Mountain News today. I couldn't find an online version so here is the article itself.

turbobenz · #2 05-22-2008, 06:35 AM

i saw this in an online article the other day

WINGAS · #3 05-22-2008, 06:50 AM

We've dubbed the procedure " suck and run ".

KarTek · #4 05-22-2008, 06:52 AM

Pretty soon we'll all be sportin' mowhawks and killing each other with crossbows over a gallon of "juice"...

pmckechnie · #5 05-22-2008, 07:25 AM

I seem to have a problem understanding this. Let's see.
Rest pays company to dispose of used oil.
OR
MB diesel owners carry it away and dispose of it for FREE.
Rest saves money.
Company comes to get oil and their drum is empty.
Who stole what?
Paul

vstech · #6 05-22-2008, 07:25 AM

ouch... a waterworld reference...

#7 05-22-2008, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmckechnie

I seem to have a problem understanding this. Let's see.
Rest pays company to dispose of used oil.
OR
MB diesel owners carry it away and dispose of it for FREE.
Rest saves money.
Company comes to get oil and their drum is empty.
Who stole what?
Paul

You do not understand the process. The restaurants are being PAID by the haulers for their oil, notice the $1.25 figure in the right column and read the caption. When the thieves take the oil for free the haulers AND the restaurants BOTH loose money.

The WVO is not free anymore, there is a demand for it and the restaurants can earn extra money to recycle it through the haulers.

BoostJunkie · #8 05-22-2008, 07:48 AM

Woohoo!!! Go Grease Bandits, Go!!! :-P

KarTek · #9 05-22-2008, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

ouch... a waterworld reference...

...Road Warrior... get with the program...

vstech · #10 05-22-2008, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarTek

...Road Warrior... get with the program...

I am dutifully chastised... WW had bald heads...

probear · #11 05-22-2008, 10:39 AM

Ironically, this article is about a major collector and a legitimate claim BUT, it does not state all the facts, or at least those that might relate to other areas. Here, it's not a problem to collect from various restaurants and you do not need a license to collect (WVO is not a Hazmat material). Most of the collected oil here (from major companies) goes to a rendering plant and is made back into animal feed. (YUK)...IMHO, dollar for dollar, the WVO is much better to be used as fuel than reprocessed feed stock. (There are plenty of other things that go into feed stock).

Interesting enough, it seems that there are lots of cheap thieves that are willing to steal WVO. Once the WVO is in an outside container, it belongs to the owner of the container. Period. If you negotiate with the restaurant to collect the WVO, then you can put your own collection device out, and use it. To take the WVO from another person's or company's collection bin is outright stealing and can be prosecuted.
I personally hope that more will be arrested as recently, I've had WVO stolen.

WVO behind restaurants is not 'free'. It belongs to someone. Taking it without permission is theft.

I hope that those stealing it ruin their vehicles and get caught. No sympathy here folks....

thesst · #12 05-22-2008, 11:10 AM

I dislike the big rendering companies.

Be that as it may, I would never steal from them (because, who you're REALLY stealing from is the restaurant).

If a restaurant is getting paid for their oil, it is usually in the 1-10¢/gallon range. When the article says "1.25 maximum price"... yes MAXIMUM price, as in maybe one restaurant gets that for its oil.

The simple solution is to offer to pick up the oil BEFORE they put it in the rendering co's dumpster (like the day they change the oil) and to pay them better than the rendering co. does.

F18 · #13 05-22-2008, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by probear

Ironically, this article is about a major collector and a legitimate claim BUT, it does not state all the facts, or at least those that might relate to other areas. Here, it's not a problem to collect from various restaurants and you do not need a license to collect (WVO is not a Hazmat material). Most of the collected oil here (from major companies) goes to a rendering plant and is made back into animal feed. (YUK)...IMHO, dollar for dollar, the WVO is much better to be used as fuel than reprocessed feed stock. (There are plenty of other things that go into feed stock).

Interesting enough, it seems that there are lots of cheap thieves that are willing to steal WVO. Once the WVO is in an outside container, it belongs to the owner of the container. Period. If you negotiate with the restaurant to collect the WVO, then you can put your own collection device out, and use it. To take the WVO from another person's or company's collection bin is outright stealing and can be prosecuted.
I personally hope that more will be arrested as recently, I've had WVO stolen.

WVO behind restaurants is not 'free'. It belongs to someone. Taking it without permission is theft.

I hope that those stealing it ruin their vehicles and get caught. No sympathy here folks....

In New England that would be like robbing lobsters from someone elses lobster pot.......if caught.... you would be "sleeping with the fishes"!

SD Blue · #14 05-22-2008, 11:29 AM

Theft is theft, there is never a justification for it.

It doesn't matter if the cost of diesel goes to $10/gal. . Offer the restuarant a better price than the haulers and you probably can have all the grease you want.

(hint: It's called free enterprise)

jt20 · #15 05-22-2008, 11:40 AM

It is this human propulsion that makes all things costly; nothing is ever free.