City Collects Nearly 800 Gallons in Curbside Cooking Oil, Grease Collection Program

The City of Raleigh collected 797 gallons of cooking oil and grease in a curbside collection program that operated from Nov. 1 to Jan. 13. This was the third consecutive year the City offered the program during the holiday season.

The amount of cooking oil and grease collected this past holiday season is down from the 2010-11 program, but participation was up as reflected in a higher number of pickup trips. In the 2010-11 program, the City collected 862 gallons in 200 trips. There were 222 collection trips during the recently completed 2011-12 program.

Under the program, residents in the Capital City were allowed to dispose of cooking oil and grease by setting them on the curb along with their garbage, recycling and yard waste. Places of worship in Raleigh also could participate in the program. The City collected the unwanted cooking oil and grease at no charge. Raleigh residents and places of worship had to call the City's Solid Waste Services Department to arrange for curbside collection of the cooking oil and grease.

The goal of the program is to protect the environment by keeping cooking oil and grease out of the City's sewer system and preventing sewer overflows. The collected cooking oil and grease was converted to biofuels, a renewable source of energy used to power vehicles, heat homes and cook food. Under an agreement, Triangle Biofuels provides storage containers for the collected oil and reimburses the City $0.25 per gallon for the oil.

The curbside grease collection program is conducted during the holiday season because of the high amounts of grease usually generated from holiday gatherings. The City plans to offer the program again during the holidays this year.

Now that this years seasonal collection program has ended residents and churches can continue to recycle their used cooking oil and grease by taking it to one of Wake County's Household Hazardous Waste Facilities listed below.

For general questions about household hazardous waste, call Wake County Environmental Services at 919-856-6186.

North Wake Solid Waste Management Facility
9037 Deponie Drive
Raleigh, NC 27614
Monday - Saturday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm

South Wake Solid Waste Management Facility
6130 Old Smithfield Road
Apex, NC 27539
Monday - Saturday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm