Used Cooking Oil The Center of Albany County Crime Spree

Who knew? Used cooking oil is super valuable, and it is getting stolen very frequently in the greater Albany area.

If you own a deep frier, you know how messy and difficult it can be to get rid of used cooking oil. But did you know that used oil is super valuable, and recycling it in the restaurant industry is very profitable? Hence, it is a target for thieves. And it is slipping away very frequently.

According to a News 10 Story, there have been 267 incidents this year where thieves stole used oil from restaurants. So maybe you are asking why this is a big deal. It's waste, right? The oil is recycled into biodiesel fuel, which is pretty cool when you think about it - that old cooking oil powers vehicles. But because of that power, it is also super valuable and thieves stealing the cooking oil used to make that fuel could make $1000 to $1500 a day according to News 10. So these thieves are not doing anyone a favor stealing waste. These thieves are stealing cash and the livelihood of others. News 10 spoke with Buffalo Biodiesel and they estimated they lose around $300,000  a week due to stolen oil. That's a lot of french fries.

I will now look at the deep fryer at McDonald's or elsewhere with newfound respect moving forward. That greasy shine is like the shimmer of gold: super valuable, and unfortunately, that value is creating a headache for local recyclers.