Like San Fran, but on a slightly smaller scale. 
(Link)
Got used cooking oil? Hoover will collect it, use it for fuel
Thursday, November 01,
2007
News staff writer
Starting today, Hoover residents can give their used cooking
oil to the city to recycle into biodiesel fuel.
The city will make one-gallon jugs available at its
Municipal Center, Public Safety Center and fire stations.
Residents can drop off the jugs at the same locations.
In March, the city began making biodiesel fuel with used
cooking oil donated by restaurants. Hoover Mayor Tony
Petelos said the plan all along was to expand the program to
accept oil from residents.
"The No. 1 cause of sewer backups is used cooking
oil," Petelos said. "People just don't know
what to do with it."
Hoover has used alternative fuels for several years.
The city has a fleet of more than 100 vehicles that use
E85 fuel, which is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent
gasoline. President Bush touted the city's use of
ethanol during a visit to Hoover in September 2006.
The city uses biodiesel fuel on a much smaller scale. The
fuel is burned in trolleys used for special events, such as
this weekend's Moss Rock Festival in The Preserve
community. Biodiesel fuel also is used in two Gator utility
vehicles and one pickup truck owned by the city.
The city has made about 3,000 gallons of biodiesel since
it bought processing equipment from Biodiesel Logic Inc., an
Albertville company, for $7,480 earlier this year. The fuel
costs about 70 cents a gallon to make, Petelos said.
The mayor said now is a good time to launch the recycling
program for residents. "With the holiday season coming
up, a lot of people enjoy frying turkeys," Petelos
said.
During the holidays, residents who use large amounts of
oil frying turkeys can return that oil to the original
container and leave it at one of the dropoff points, he
said.
Petelos said residents can turn in any kind of vegetable
cooking oil. "It can have chicken parts, gizzard parts,
french fry parts," Petelos said. "It doesn't
matter. It's all filtered out."
The city will have a booth at the Moss Rock Festival to
promote its recycling effort.
E-mail: mcason@bhamnews.com
