The fats, oils and grease (FOG) pumped out of grease traps can potentially be repurposed, but the waste isn’t typically resold. We use our fleet of vacuum trucks – powered entirely by biofuel derived from recycled waste fryer oil – to extract the water from commercial kitchens’ grease traps during our cleaning service before taking the contents back to our own wastewater treatment facility for treatment.

Our crew then separates the FOG from the wastewater before it is responsibly treated for safe water reclamation.

Waste oil recycling service providers, like Southern Green Industries, pay restaurants and food service businesses for their fryer oil waste. This used oil can be recycled into biodiesel and other environmentally friendly products, but the same can’t be said for FOG separated from grease trap wastewater.

FOG isn’t as easily monetized because it’s nearly impossible to filter out all the food waste, fats and grease from the trace amounts of recyclable vegetable oils in the FOG, at least not profitably.

In contrast, collected waste fryer oil may only contain a small quantity of food particles, making it easy to achieve 100 percent separation and purity for recycling purposes. As a result, waste fryer oil can be filtered and recycled into profitable products, including biodiesel.

It’s more difficult to accomplish that with FOG separated from the wastewater vacuumed out of grease traps. That said, the leftover FOG after wastewater treatment can still be reused in other ways that benefit the environment.

Potential Uses for Grease Trap FOG Waste Leftover

Energy Production: Beyond biodiesel, FOG can be treated using anaerobic digestion, which breaks down waste to produce biogas. Biogas are primarily composed of methane and can be used as a natural gas to generate heat, electricity and vehicle fuel.

Eco-Materials: Anaerobic digestion recycles the remaining residual FOGs that weren’t converted into biogas into digestates – a nutrient-rich material that can be used for fertilizer.

Land Application: While not all FOGs are suitable for composting due to their tendency to produce odors that can attract pests, under the right conditions and with proper management, they can be composted. Thoroughly composted FOG waste can be used as a soil amendment, which is used to improve a plot of soil’s physical and biological properties and eliminate harmful pathogens. As a result, it can be useful for balancing the soil’s nutrient content and making it suitable for soil fertility.

Future Bio-Production: Engineers are exploring the emerging possibility of converting waste oils into hydrogen gas to produce a clean energy source. Research is also being conducted about the potential for grease trap contents and sewage scum grease (SSG) to be more effectively converted into biodiesel.

The Greenest Grease Trap Cleaning Services for Commercial Kitchens in Georgia

Do you want to stop stressing about your grease trap and fryer oil disposal? Are you worried that your restaurant’s FOG disposal might be negatively affecting the environment? At Southern Green Industries, we have the experience and resources to responsibly handle every aspect of grease trap cleaning – from pumping and cleaning your grease trap to submitting the necessary manifests to inspectors on your behalf for your peace of mind.

Since 2007, Georgia businesses have depended on us for grease trap cleaning and waste fryer oil recycling services. We will provide you with the expertise, skill and first-class customer service your business needs to keep your kitchen running smoothly and without obstruction from FOG blockages or improper FOG and wastewater treatment or disposal.

Whether your business requires a one-off appointment or recurring grease trap cleaning or waste oil collection service, our team will provide you with efficient grease trap cleaning and used fryer oil recycling services that prioritize your needs and schedule, as well as the local environment, above all else.

We have “Green” in our name because we go above and beyond to provide the most environmentally responsible grease trap servicing and waste oil recycling services in Georgia. Learn more about our grease trap services and get a free quote for your business today by calling us at (404) 419-6887.