One man’s trash is another man’s diesel fuel.
Dean Price, owner of “Biodiesel 4 Schools,” paid a visit to Elon University on Thursday morning to oversee the first delivery of biodiesel fuel made from Alamance County restaurants’ used cooking oil.
“The biodiesel that Elon University has been using has been coming from the port in Wilmington, which comes from Argentina. It has no economic benefit to the community,” Price said. “The biodiesel that they’re using now is hyperlocal. That’s a very important word. Aramark, Biscuitville, Lowes Foods — you can see it in their marketing. They want to bring everything back to the local economy. It’s a trend that I do not see going away. It’s the only way we’re going to get out of this economic malaise.”
The process is simple:
Used cooking oil is collected from restaurants in containers provided for free. Many restaurants choose to donate the oil, but the company will pay market value for it if necessary.