Why We Started Our Grease Theft Tracker

“Grease theft,” a term that may illicit comical images of literally slippery bandits, is a crime that has become increasingly common over the past decade, leading to serious problems for restaurants, renderers, and communities. Grease theft can hit your establishment and community in three main ways.

Money:

The National Renderers Association estimates that up to $75 million worth of used cooking oil is stolen each year. The restaurant loses the money the renderer it normally works with would have paid for the grease. The renderer, of course, also loses profits it would have made from the grease. But when thieves make off with grease, they can cause spills and damage containers. These will need to be cleaned and repaired as well. In some cases, the messes left by thieves could even result in fines for the restaurant.

Environment:

D&W and other legitimate grease removal companies know how to transport your oil safely. When grease thieves rush off with it, it can end up on the ground or polluting nearby water sources. Cooking oil recycling is a green business. Polluting land and water supply is contrary to our goal, but it can happen when criminals steal grease, and it can hurt your community.

Employee and Community Safety:

Thieves can put your employees in danger. Spills do more than hurt the environment, they can also create an unsafe working environment where employees fall and get injured. Plus, it’s not unusual for those who steal grease to engage in other crimes. A recent crackdown by homeland security found a large grease theft ring that had stolen millions of dollars worth of grease had also engaged in money laundering and other crimes that can hurt your community.

D&W is committed to preventing and reporting grease theft. We work regularly with local law enforcement to help keep restaurants and communities safe. We recently launched our Grease Theft Tracker to raise awareness about the prevalence of these crimes in our area. We can tailor custom grease-theft solutions to your restaurant. Call us to learn more!