They struck oil! In the trash.

I remember while my daughter was younger, I used to push her around the neighbourhood in her pram for walks. Frequently, I was able to pick up some discarded cuttings in the park to grow in my garden. Now and then, I was even able to bring home stuff that had been thrown into trash bins because of my artistic calling to create something out of them.

I cannot be doing that in America or I will be caught stealing trash! I will not receive a note of appreciation even if I am willing to help remove foul smelling, rancid used cooking oil. In fact, I will be reported and napped by the police if I am caught in the act. So, what is going on there?

People in the catering industry there are now aware that they can be paid for their used fryer or cooking oil. The companies that recover them are able to recycle the vegetable oil, tallow (fat from cow) or lard (fat from pig) from animal to produce soap, or bio-fuel, or cosmetics and even animal fat-based feeds, which are widely used by farmers in some parts of Europe, North America and Asia.

The theft for the used oil is so high that owners are willing to install surveillance equipment to monitor this commodity. A grease collection company in USA has even hired two detectives to investigate thefts around the country. Clear indications that this is a highly profitable business.

Is this something that you could start in your own country? These are places where you can get your source of used cooking oil:

1) hotels
2) fast food outlets
3) restaurants
4) food processing companies
5) domestic homes

And here are the processes for making:

a) soap
b) Bio-fuel

Go strike (used) oil. You never know; you maybe able to start a franchise.