I’ve found overall that it’s pretty easy to get used vegetable oil from restaurants in my area, in central Massachusetts. Most places around here have to pay to have their used oil taken away by the grease rendering company, so they’re generally agreeable to giving it away, which is a relationship that can work well for both sides.
Approaching a Restaurant
I would recommend talking with the owners of smaller restaurants and pass on the big chain places. The restaurants I’ve dealt with had a barrel or two out back that would get emptied by the rendering company occasionally. I asked them to instead empty the oil into the 5-gallon plastic cube containers (cubies) they get the oil in and put them out back for me to pick up every few weeks. This makes it much easier to transport rather than figuring out how to pump out of barrels into big containers. I’d consider outdoor grease barrels and bins to be risky because of water that could get in the oil, which you definitely don’t want.
People ask me “so you just walk in and ask for their oil?” Pretty much, yes. I’ve usually ordered a meal first and asked to talk to the manager. (Make sure not to go when it’s really busy) I explain about the car and how it works, then confirm that they use fryolaters. I ask if they have to pay to have the used oil taken away, usually yes. I check what kind of oil they use, and how much they go through each week.
Types of Used Veggie Oil
The kind of oil used by the restaurants makes a difference, so make sure to see the oil first before you make a commitment. So far that I’ve read, most kinds of vegetable oils seem to work fine as veggie fuel. Hydrogenated oil makes things more difficult because it can be partially gelled, creamy and goopy at room temperature. Once heated up it thins out the same as regular veggie oil, but it can make filtering more difficult as well as pouring it into the veggie tank. The thick, gelled oil can clog the veggie fuel filter in the car, so if you want to use hydrogenated oil make sure there is plenty of heat in your veggie system to thin it down.
One Chinese restaurant I asked used lard in their fryers. Lard is animal fat and is solid at room temperature, so I’d pass. Besides, using lard in a fryer is disgusting and really unhealthy, so pass on the oil and the restaurant.
The quality of the used oil is another consideration. One restaurant I’ve picked up from game me oil that was really thick and dirty. That oil quickly clogged the filter on my home filtering setup. There is too much clean oil available out there for me to take that stuff home.
Commitment
Hopefully, you can find a restaurant to supply used oil and keep that relationship going. It’s a benefit to a restaurant to give their oil to you because they often have to pay to have it disposed of. When you agree to take their oil, restaurants stop calling the rendering company. You’re committing to take their oil consistently, so please understand the responsibility you’re taking on. If you stop picking up the oil because you already have too much, your car broke down, etc., that frustrates the restaurant owner and hurts the chances of the next person who comes along for the oil. Try to be realistic about how much oil you’ll use each month. If you think you might not use all the available oil, don’t take it all. If you leave some then the restaurant can continue oil pickups by the rendering company, just much less frequently. If you have too much oil maybe you can contact other WVO people in the region and share your bounty.
Buying New Oil
I haven’t actually gone looking myself, but I’ve heard that you can buy new vegetable oil in 5-gallon containers from big retailers such as BJ’s for the same or less-per-gallon than diesel fuel. Now, because I’m cheap, I prefer to go with the free stuff. Some people might prefer to just buy new oil and not get into filtering and all the extra time that goes with that. This is also a possibility for people who are living in apartments or other spaces where they don’t have room for a filtering setup.
Buying Used, Filtered Oil
You may be able to find other veggie drivers in the area who would be willing to sell some filtered used oil, maybe for around $1.00 per gallon. Maybe it isn’t free, but it sure beats the cost of diesel fuel.