JEA Encourages Community to Recycle Used Cooking Oil for Biodiesel

2012-12-19

Jacksonville, FL - JEA is partnering with Metro-Rooter Plumbing Service as part of its Fats, Oil and Grease (FOG) Program in an effort to recycle more used cooking oil by turning it into biodiesel fuel to power cars and trucks. 

In an effort to expand the FOG program and further keep damaging fats, oils and grease out of the sewer system, JEA and Metro-Rooter will be providing drop-off locations for anyone with used cooking oil to recycle. The drop-off locations will be open Friday, December 28 and Saturday, December 29 from 8 a.m. to 5p.m. at the old Coggin Dealership at Atlantic and Southside Boulevard. Everyone is encouraged to drop-off their used cooking oil to be recycled. 

An additional drop-off location at Metro-Rooter’s main office on 8892 Normandy Boulevard, two miles west of I-295 on Normandy, accepts used cooking oil seven days a week during daylight hours. JEA and Metro-Rooter are also planning future recycling sites for drop-off of used cooking oil. 

Fats, oils and grease are the number one cause of sanitary sewer overflows and back-ups for JEA’s sewer customers. The FOG Program urges commercial businesses and apartment complexes to recycle these fats, oils and grease and not dump them down the drain. For restaurants this means installing grease traps and recycle bins, for apartment complexes it means educating residents to save their grease in a can and placing it in the trash. 

Metro-Rooter collects the grease and recycles it. “We take some pretty nasty stuff,” said Tom McLaughlin, President of Metro-Rooter. “In some cases, with say, yellow oil used in frying, we separate the food waste and the water and then send it on to a company in Kissimmee to become biodiesel.” 

JEA uses biodiesel fuel or ethanol or electricity in more than 40 percent of its vehicle fleet in collaboration with the City of Jacksonville’s Fleet Management Division. As a result of these efforts, JEA was recently ranked in the top 100 of U.S. fleets utilizing alternative fuels by Automotive Fleet Magazine. 

JEA is the seventh-largest community-owned electric utility in the United States and one of the largest water and sewer utilities in the nation providing electric, water and sewer service to residents and businesses in northeast Florida. 

Category:

• conservation
• corporate
• customer
• environment