The Dish on Greasecycling
BIOFUEL PROGRAM OVERVIEW
SFGreasecycle is a citywide effort by the City of San Francisco to create a waste vegetable oil (WVO) recovery program that diverts Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG) out of the trash, away from the sewer and eventually into City fleet. To make this happen, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has established a Commercial Waste Oil Transfer Station—located at the Southeast Waste Water Treatment plant—to handle all material from commercial establishments and residents in the City. This waste oil will be processed and sold to the biofuel industry, turning trash into fuel.
The SFPUC Biofuel Program, called SFGreasecycle, has three important objectives:
- Converts the problematic FOG in sewers into an alternative fuel for City fleet
- Provides businesses and residents with a cheaper, cleaner FOG disposal option
- Empowers San Francisco to be more energy independent
In addition to the financial and environmental benefits, SFGreasecycle will:
- Provide clean tech job opportunities and training for the BayView Hunters Point community
- Help fulfill Mayor’s Biodiesel Directive 06-02, requiring 100% conversion of municipal fleet to B20 biodiesel by 12/31/07
- Be a national model for communities across the country
How it works for Restaurants and Food Service Establishments
- SFPUC trucks collect oil from restaurants
- Transfer station receives oil
- Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) filtered, transferred into a multi storage tank settling system, then decanted (3 days)
- Sold to biodiesel plant (bulk transport tractor-trailer pick-up)
- Designed to be a clean operation for maximum volume, with heating from steam off digesters
How it works for City residents
- Dispose of “just a little bit” in your trash or Green cart.
- Collect larger amounts in a jar or can and save it for drop-off events
