Today’s reality has seen used cooking oil becoming a valuable recyclable commodity that can generate rebate income, support renewable fuel production and improve kitchen safety. “The perception changed when the value of used cooking oil changed,” Artem Kamalov, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Eazy Grease, said. “For a long time, it was simply waste that restaurants needed to get rid of. As demand for renewable fuels grew, that waste stream became something with measurable value.”
The first step was industry recognition that fryer oil should be managed as part of the restaurant’s operating system rather than as an afterthought. That meant choosing a collection partner, installing equipment suited to the kitchen’s volume, training employees and creating a dependable pickup schedule. “Restaurants had often been burned by providers that failed to show up, communicated poorly or lacked the infrastructure to service them properly,” Kamalov added. “The solution was straightforward: show up when promised, communicate clearly, provide the right equipment and compensate the restaurant fairly.”
Reliability was essential because an overflowing container could quickly disrupt operations. When storage capacity was exhausted, employees had nowhere to place freshly drained oil. That could delay oil changes, affect food quality, create odors and create spills, pests or inspection concerns.
Technology was making the process easier to manage. Eazy Grease used routing systems, automated service records and sensors in certain tanks to monitor volume levels and help prevent missed pickups or overflows. For multi-unit operators, those tools could create consistency. “Technology had helped us identify service patterns, schedule routes efficiently and respond before a tank became full,” Kamalov noted. “The goal was not to add complexity. It was to make the service predictable and keep it out of the operator’s daily workload.”
Equipment selection needs to reflect the size and layout of the operation. Many restaurants still rely on buckets or pails to move cooled oil. That approach could work, but employees needed to move slowly, use suitable containers and avoid transferring oil before it had cooled sufficiently.
Larger-volume operations working with Eazy Grease are benefitting solutions that include oil caddies, pump systems, hard piping or enclosed holding tanks. Kamalov suggested that automation could begin to make sense for an operation generating approximately 200 gallons of used oil per month, depending on kitchen layout, staffing and fryer usage.
“The biggest mistakes usually involve improper equipment, inadequate training or employees rushing through the transfer process,” Kamalov detailed. “Used cooking oil can be hot and messy. Investing in a shuttle or caddy and teaching employees to pour slowly can prevent spills, injuries and pest problems.”
Operators also needed to consider the type of frying medium they used. Vegetable and soybean oils generally remained liquid after cooling, making them easier to pump and collect. Tallow and certain shortenings could solidify and might require heated storage or specialized handling
A conversation an oil collection professional before changing frying oils can prevent surprises. A restaurant might select a product for flavor or performance without realizing that its existing collection system was not designed to handle it. “Restaurants that move toward tallow or thicker oils have found that their recycling options became more limited,” Kamalov outlined. “The material could still enter the renewable fuel supply chain, but the restaurant needed the right plan to move it from the fryer to the collection truck.”
Understanding an operator’s sustainability agenda is also crucial. After collection, used cooking oil is typically transported to a processing facility where water, food particles and other impurities are separated from the usable oil. The recovered material can then move to producers of biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. That process keeps oil out of drains, sewers and landfills while turning a restaurant waste stream into a lower-carbon energy feedstock. It also gave operators a tangible sustainability story.
Eazy Grease also understands the importance of financial transparency. “Restaurant rebates for oil disposal were calculated on a price-per-gallon basis, with rates varying by market and volume, Kamalov noted. “Because collected material contained water and food residue, providers could apply deductions for impurities which could have a significant impact on the amount of the rebate.” The Eazy Grease program clearly outlines those deductions while providing transparent reporting on the oil collected and the rebates earned.
For restaurant groups, standardization became more important with the opening of every new unit. Each location should follow consistent rules for storage, transfer and cleaning. Operators should also resist choosing a vendor because they bundle unrelated services. “Used cooking oil collection, grease trap cleaning and hood cleaning were different specialties, and the best partner is often the one with proven expertise in the service required,” Kamalov said. “When pickups are on time, equipment is clean and rebates are transparent, the operators and their staff can focus on serving guests instead of worrying about where the next batch of fryer oil would go.”
Restaurants, foodservice operators and distributors interested in reviewing their oil program can visit the Eazy Grease website at https://eazygrease.com/, complete the new-customer form or call (888) 509-5712.
