The Upper Darby Township Police Department in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, is looking into a series of recent thefts involving used cooking oil.
In one incident, men in a white truck stole waste vegetable oil from behind Wilson’s Secret Sauce barbecue restaurant.
The restaurant industry refers to it as “yellow grease,” which is the used oil from deep fryers.
Steve Wilson, the owner of Wilson’s Secret Sauce, said the thieves broke the container’s lock and got to work.
“What they do is go around to all the different restaurants,” Wilson said. “So they’re taking $100 from here, from there.”
Wilson said this has happened to him before. He said he makes 29 cents a gallon for his waste oil.
Police said they’re looking into the theft, which has happened at a number of other places.
If the thieves hit just a handful of restaurants, investigators said it can amount to hundreds of dollars.
“Just like, why, man? Get a job,” Wilson said. “You’re gonna get caught, you’re gonna get in trouble.”
Anthony Paffas works for Lifecycle Renewables. His firm buys the waste oil, recycles it and then sells it as biofuel.
“That biofuel is used in lieu of fossil fuel to heat buildings,” Paffas said.
Years ago, restaurants would take their waste oil, put it outside in a 55-gallon drum and pay someone to take it away.
Now, there is a market for that waste oil. It’s lucrative.
“Oh, they know exactly what they’re doing,” Paffas said. “They’ll take that oil and they’ll go to a wholesaler somewhere and the guy will give them a couple of bucks a gallon. What they’re supposed to do is ask, ‘Where did you get that oil from?’ And they’re not doing that.”
Wilson is hoping someone recognizes these thieves. He’s offering a generous lunch for information.
“Two racks of ribs, two pounds of brisket and two pounds of pulled pork,” he said.