PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) – Ever wonder if you could do anything with your used cooking oil?

Portsmouth has started a recycling program it hopes will avoid sewage blockages and produce more environmentally friendly fuel. It is accepting residents’ used cooking oil, which will be collected by a Maine company at no charge and refined to create biodiesel fuel.

Biodiesel is similar to petroleum diesel but made from vegetable oil or animal fat. It burns cleaner than petroleum, cutting pollution.

The company that will collect the oil, Beans Commercial Grease Inc., of Vassalboro, Maine, collects up to 17,000 of oil every week from eateries and communities in Maine and New Hampshire.

Silke Psula, Portsmouth’s solid waste coordinator, said the city frequently receives inquiries from residents about what to do with used cooking oil.

“It’s not a significant portion of the waste stream, but people don’t know what to do with it,” said Psula. “It absolutely should not go down the drain. … It’s not an illegal product to throw away, but then again, it’s a product that can be refined and reused.”

Oil poured down drains causes sewage blockages, Psula said.

Copy the Story Link