I mentioned a few days ago how I was going with some other CRR folks to meet with a local biodiesel manufacturer.  As it turns out, we met with them at exactly the right time.

biodiesel.jpgUnlike the ethanol craze in the late 2000s, biodiesel never saw a major spike in popularity, followed by a downturn–it’s always been on a steady uphill climb of acceptance. Mainstream biodiesel is still predominantly made from various vegetable oils, but it can be made from other types of fatty oils, including used vegetable oil and even animal fat.  When we were speaking with the owner of the plant, it became apparent that she first got into the biodiesel business because of this potential–at one point she told us, “If I could just find a group of businesses and consumers who weren’t afraid to go out on the ledge a little to organize themselves, we could build a very effective operation to take used frying oil, process it, and then sell it out on the market.” After we heard that, we knew we found an ally.

In the next week, we’re going to present a plan to the Polish Hill leaders to start a coordinated used frying oil collection service for both businesses and homes.  In return for the oil, the biodiesel plant will process it and sell it on the market and at a discount to any of the participating businesses and homes who have diesel vehicles (and to CRR, which has a lot of diesel vehicles).  I think people will be pretty excited about the plan, but I’m still a little nervous about the presentation!