EDCO Accepting Fats, Oils and Grease for Recycling, City Announces

EDCO is now accepting FOG—fats, oils and grease—at its 8184 Commercial St. recycling station, the city announced Thursday.

The local trash company is providing this free service along with New Leaf Biofuel of San Diego, said Greg Humora, director of public works.

FOG recycling also is available at EDCO’s centers in Lemon Grove, Fallbrook, San Marcos and Ramona.

“Simply collect used cooking oil and grease in a leak-proof container, such as a coffee can or jar, and take it in when full,” Humora said.

In La Mesa, the service is available 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Humora says the city approached EDCO this year on whether the company had ever considered adding cooking oil to its list of materials for recycling.

“The recycling of FOG is already required at local restaurants and many services are available to pick up the material at no cost to the generating business due to the increasing value of waste oil as a source of alternative energy,” Humora said.

“EDCO … already accepts electronics and Styrofoam from anyone in the county, in addition to traditional recyclable items such as bottles and cans.”

Humora said EDCO looked at the feasibility and saw an opportunity, “signing up with New Leaf and placing containers at their five local recycling centers.”

EDCO Vice President John Snyder said: “We are always looking for ways to increase recycling, expand recycling programs and keep these recoverable materials out of landfills.”

Keeping fats, oils and grease out of the drain also is important because the material leads to clogged pipes and sewer backups, increasing the cost of maintaining the wastewater system, Humora said.

“New Leaf is refining [these materials] into a biodiesel that can then be sold to commercial customers to run greener diesel fleets, and the community is gaining a new recycling resource while getting some cleaner air too,” he said.

For more information, visit cityoflamesa.com/recycling.