Cooking Oil Recycling Campaign Reduces Gunk

BRANDON, FL – Hillsborough County Public Utilities is finding less gunk in its pipes – and has the county’s residents to thank.

According to the county, residents are heeding a call to properly dispose of unwanted cooking oil, grease and fat, rather than dumping the pipe-clogging lipids down the drain. Since early 2016, when the utility department ramped up its public awareness campaign (Cooking Oil Recycling Effort), the amount of cooking oil collected at recycling stations and Household Hazardous Waste Collection centers has more than doubled.

As the county had hoped, instances of stopped-up sanitary sewer pipes have dropped dramatically. According to Hillsborough County, cooking oils that are dumped down drains and sewers collect inside pipes, sewage lines and sewage lift stations. The gunk can back up home plumbing and cause sewage spills, overflows into streets and foul odors.

“Proper disposal of the gunk prevents the problem,” according to a Hillsborough County press release. “And, thanks largely to increased awareness and more collection sites, that’s happening.”

From January to May of this year, the team overseeing the collection of used cooking oils in Hillsborough County gathered 3,855 gallons of the gunk, and is on pace to exceed its goal of 9,000 gallons for the year. In 2015, the county only collected a total of 3,698 gallons.

Aside from the improved recycling efforts by county residents, Hillsborough County said Public Utilities’ commitment to keeping sewer lines clear of buildup helped make a difference.

When the CORE program was launched in 2012, there were 38 sanitary sewer overflows in unincorporated Hillsborough County. In 2016, there were 15 overflows. So far this year, there have been none reported.

The CORE program applies to residential used vegetable and animal oils and fats, not motor oils. Restaurants are subject to mandates and regulations such as grease traps and inspections.

The county sells the collected oils to Florida By Products, a recycling business in Mulberry.

“Hillsborough County is doing it the right way,” said Jay Ford, the company’s president. “They’re a notch above.”

The recycled liquids are transported in large drums to the recycling facility, where they are filtered, cleaned and marketed as yellow grease. Yellow Grease is then processed into animal feed, biodiesel fuel or a chemical used in the manufacturing of soap, cosmetics, paint and other products.

How to recycle cooking oils

Hillsborough County offers the following instructions for residents looking to recycle their cooking oils:

1. Carefully pour cooled cooking oil into a large, sturdy plastic or wax-coated container, such as the original container, a juice carton or a CORE jug
2. Camp the container and store in a cool, safe location
3. Don’t mix the oil with any other liquids or products
4. Bring the full container to a CORE station or to one of the county’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers at:

Public Utility Service Centers

• Northwest Customer Service Center, 15610 Premiere Drive, Tampa
• Brandon Support Operations Complex, 332 N. Falkenburg Road, Tampa

Libraries

• 78th Street Community Library, 7625 Palm River Road, Tampa
• Austin Davis Public Library, 17808 Wayne Road, Odessa
• Bloomingdale Regional Library, 1906 Bloomingdale Ave/, Valrico
• Brandon Regional Library, 619 Vonderburg Drive, Brandon
• Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2902 W. Bearss Ave., Tampa
• Riverview Branch Library, 10509 Riverview Drive, Tampa
• Seffner-Mango Branch Library, 410 N. Kingsway Road, Seffner
• SouthShore Regional Library, 15816 Beth Shields Way, Ruskin
• Upper Tampa Bay Regional Public Library, 11211 Countryway Blvd., Tampa

Parks and Rec Centers

• Northlakes Recreation Center, 2640 Lakeview Drive, Tampa
• Woodlake Park, 9207 Woodlake Blvd., Tampa

Other County Locations

• Covington Garden Pump Station, 6505 Covington Garden Drive, Tampa
• Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission, 3629 Queen Palm Drive, Tampa
• Northwest County Solid Waste Transfer Station, 8001 W. Linebaugh Ave., Tampa
• Town ’N Country Pump Station, 5505 Town ’N Country Blvd., Tampa
• 6th Street Utility Pump Station, 1306 Sixth St. SE, Ruskin
• Fishhawk Utility Pump Station, 15401 Fishhawk Blvd., Lithia
• Durant Road Utility Pump Station, 5125 Durant Road, Dover
• Via Viva Utility Pump Station, 980 Via Viva, Brandon
• South Regional Service Center, 410 30th St. SE, Ruskin

For more information, visit http://hcflgov.net.

Image via Hillsborough County Government website