Waste Oil Recyclers is fueled by used cooking oil
By Kathleen Brady Shea Managing Editor, UnionvilleTimes.com
MODENA – While the Muppets’ Kermit the Frog may lament that it isn’t easy being green, the creators of a burgeoning Modena business can attest to the fact that it is environmentally responsible as well as lucrative.
Waste Oil Recyclers, a company that has found a niche in grease retrieval, is using its ability to re-purpose used cooking oil into fuel as a springboard for an annual celebration.
On Sunday, the company will open the doors of its four-acre refinery at 6 Union Street from 2 to 6 p.m., welcoming visitors and more than a dozen like-minded entrepreneurs to the Fourth Annual Energy Independence Day. A ribbon-cutting marking the company’s most recent expansion will be held at 1 p.m.
The event, which is co-sponsored by Organic Mechanics Soil, a Modena-based organic potting soil manufacturer, and the Victory Brewing Company, Downingtown’s thriving microbrewery, will feature free refreshments, children’s activities such as a moon bounce and a potting area, and live music from Rolling Thunder Blues Revue, the Wallace Brothers, and Mason Porter.
“Energy Independence Day is our way of observing another year closer to our goal,” said co-founder Jim Bricker in a press release. “If you’ve never joined us, it’s a great day to see new green products, meet people aligned in commitment to the cause and experience the vibrant green profile of the community of Modena.”
Since its founding in 2006, the company has more than quadrupled, said Brenda McNeil, its communications director. She said in its first year, it recycled 10,000 gallons of used cooking oil. Now, it services over 2,000 local businesses, including restaurants, stadiums, hospitals, and universities, often collecting 10,000 gallons a day.
The customers benefit, McNeil said, because previously they had to pay for a grease-removal service. Now they are paid by Waste Oil Recyclers, which then turns the material into fuel, either for grease-burning engines or conversion into biodiesel used in home-heating.
Contact Kathleen Brady Shea at kbradyshea@gmail.com; follow her on Twitter @Brandywinebits.
