How It Works

Simple setup … and we’ll take care of the rest!

Starting your used cooking oil collection service in NJ, PA, or DE with D&W Alternative Energy couldn’t be easier: just select a tank, dispose of your waste, and we can take care of everything else!

Setting up and managing your grease collection system with D&W is simple:

  1. 1. Choose your tank

    D&W offers a variety of indoor and outdoor options and can help you choose the best solution for your business including traditional cooking oil containers, drums with upgraded theft-prevention technology, filters to prolong the life of your oil, and state-of-the-art indoor cooking oil management solutions that keep your employees, and your oil, safe.

  2. 2. Start Cooking and Fill Your Tank

    When your cooking oil container starts to fill up, you give us a call or schedule a service online. Professional D&W technicians will come empty your tank at a time that suits your schedule. If market conditions permit, you receive cash or check rebate at the time of pick up. Soon D&W will be able to predict when your tank will fill up and schedule pickups accordingly, but you can always call for an emergency pickup or service.

  3. 3. Grease is Reused

    D&W brings the used oil from your restaurant back to its local facility. The grease is rendered and purified so it can be recycled and reused as biodiesel, a renewable energy source.

Flexible options for your oil and grease collection needs

D&W offers a variety of indoor and outdoor options and can help you choose the best solution for your business including traditional cooking oil containers, drums with upgraded theft-prevention technology, filters to prolong the life of your oil, and even state-of-the-art direct connect technology for hands-free cooking oil management.

oil collection tanks
regulations binders

D&W does more than used cooking oil collection, we provide other tank maintenance services such as grease trap cleaning, line jetting, power washing, custom manufacturing, and consulting to help you maintain compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and local health departments. Plus, the software we use lets you access your records any time you need them.

Service Above and Beyond

Have a problem or a question? Call D&W any time. You’ll be able to speak to one of the owners who can make immediate decisions regarding your service.

business meeting in restaurant kitchen

How do restaurants recycle used cooking oil?

Designating a smooth standard operating procedure to make sure your used cooking oil gets recycled is crucial to the efficiency of a restaurant.

Can you throw cooking oil down the drain?

As tempting and easy as it is, the answer is NO. If you run a commercial kitchen, you need to work with a used cooking oil recycling company, like D&W Alternative Energy in New Jersey. If you just use oil at home, it’s best to find a drop off location if you can. Throwing cooking oil down the drain can create numerous disasters; from backing up your pipes and causing huge plumbing bills to backing up your neighbor’s plumbing damaging public waterways and killing aquatic animals and birds. It is also a violation of EPA and local regulations and can result in enormous fines.

Should you pour cooking oil in the garden?

No, you should not pour cooking oil in the garden. That oil eventually makes its way into aquifers and public waterways and can cause enormous environmental damage.

What is the best way to recycle used cooking oil?

The very best way is to have a properly licensed hauler of used cooking oil haul away your oil where it can be recycled into useful products such as renewable diesel. If your hauler is not properly licensed, that used oil may end up in a landfill or some waterway and do damage to the environment and you can be held legally responsible if it does.  D&W Alternative Energy is a properly licensed and insured hauler of used cooking oil. Here is how cooking oil recycling works at D&W.

What options are there for storing used cooking oil until pickup?

There are many different containers you might use to store your used cooking oil until the used cooking oil collection company picks it up. The type of used cooking oil management system you choose will depend on a variety of factors such as whether you’re willing to pay for the system, how much space you have, the volume of oil you produce, and whether you have multiple kitchens in one building or several buildings close to each other such as in a strip mall, casino or airport terminal.

Outdoor Used Cooking Oil Bins

Most restaurants have a cooking oil bin outside of their restaurant. Depending on availability, they may come in multiple sizes to suit your restaurant.

Using bins like these are sufficient for most restaurants. However, there are some risks with this setup. First, grease theft has become a huge business. Some haulers estimate that they lose 40% of their used oil to theft.  Most of these containers are made of sturdy metal and have solid locking devices but thieves often find ways to steal it anyway. Recently, thieves have been drilling circular holes in the tops of these containers for their hoses to reach the oil. The risk to the restaurant is that they lose compensation for their used cooking oil. They also risk the damage that comes with grease spills and leaks on their property caused by cooking oil thieves. Legislation and stricter penalties are needed to stop this brazen theft and the cost to restaurants. At the present time most used cooking oil thefts are not investigated by police.

The other risk is that employees have to transfer oil from the fryers in the restaurant kitchen to these outdoor bins. Transferring oil can be a messy business and spilled oil can result in falls and injuries.  

Eco Tubs 

Eco Tubs are great for locations that want a simple, space-saving way to empty their fryers and a low profile tank to store and transport oil. They are cube-shaped tanks on wheels that can be stored indoors. Eco tubs come in multiple sizes, depending on availability, and have a removable lid on top, covering the area in which your employees drain oil.

Indoor Smart Tanks 

These are the most cutting-edge kitchen grease storage solution. Indoor automated used cooking oil tanks prevent theft, keep your employees safe and save you money. These tall tanks stay inside your building, out of reach of thieves. They come in several shapes, but are often translucent so you can see the level of oil. 

Options for transporting oil from your fryers to your tank

Keeping these bins clean and the pathways to and from the bin clear, are very important for the safety of restaurant staff.

Direct-connect

A direct plumbing line from your fryer to your indoor cooking oil storage tank lets you transfer the used cooking oil with the push of a button! Your oil is safe from damage from would-be thieves and your employees are safe from accidents, saving you money on worker’s comp insurance.

Magic wand

A flexible wand is connected to a tube that siphons oil from your fryer straight into your automated storage tank.

Caddies

The caddy system is ideal for smaller kitchens without space for indoor tanks, or those locations with multiple kitchens using a single storage tank. Caddy systems allow you to safely store grease under fryers. When you’re ready, close the top and roll it safely to your storage tank.

What is the best way to store and manage used cooking oil?

The gold standard for managing used cooking oil is an indoor storage tank connected directly to your fryers with a pipe and automatic pump. With a closed system no employee ever touches the used cooking oil. Thieves cannot access the oil to steal it and your hauler has easy and safe access to pick up the oil. If your space does not allow for directly connecting the fryers to the pump or if you do not have self-filtering fryers D&W Alternative Energy has other methods to move the oil such as a caddy or a wand.

The benefits of an indoor used cooking oil recycling system are numerous. They lower plumbing bills, reduce accidents, lower insurance premiums, reduce time off from injury and improve the cleanliness of your kitchen.
D&W Alternative Energy has installed many such systems and customizes the configuration to fit the needs of your kitchen and staff. Many suppliers require monthly payments for their equipment and require you to purchase your fresh oil from them.  With D&W if you produce enough oil the system is free.  And D&W allows you to shop around and buy the best fresh cooking oil at the best price for your restaurant.

Get a Free Consultation

We’d love to discuss your oil, grease, and automation needs. Drop us a line and we’ll work to find the best service offering to fit your needs, no obligation!

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